Those Cruel Eyes
by Kenady Middleton
Summary: Sarah has just escaped from the Goblin King's desperate clutches, taking his true love and heir away forever. Years pass and the goblins of the Underground grow restless from Jareth's tyranny, especially Hoggle. A Goblin Rebellion erupts, placing Hoggle on the throne and Jareth on the streets. What will Jareth do to get his throne back? Will he find love again?
1. Prologe

PROLOGUE

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave!" Jareth's eyes pleaded the girl he loved to listen, to think, to give him a chance. The girl, Sarah Williams, looked up at him, clarity dawning in her emerald eyes. Jareth stretched out his arm, hope sparking a flame deep within his jaded soul. The illusion of love in her eyes was shattered as she spoke.

"You have no power over me!" She yelled the accursed line from her story. It was then Jareth truly realized that she was lost to him. Her words severed their bond. She was free of him. Jareth pulled his crystal back, his heart ripping to pieces in his chest. His eyes hardened to cold marbles, and Sarah finally showed subtle signs of fear. Jareth made eye contact, and tossed the crystal up into a high arc towards his lost love in one last symbol of how much he's given her. As she caught the small bubble full of Jareth's dreams, she watched her tormentor fall from the ruins with regret shining in her eyes.

The Underground was dark and void of life as a violent storm gathered above it. Lightning cracked and thunder roared in a rhythmic song of fury and humiliation. The one and only sign of life outside the walls of the Labyrinth was a small dwarf, spraying fairies while glancing uneasily at the sky above him. Hoggle-the dwarf- was right in the middle of spraying a particularly nasty fairy when an emotionally unbalanced Goblin King stalked to the gates. Jareth violently waved his hand and the gates flew open, crashing against the stone wall with a vicious sound of splintering wood on cracking stone. Hoggle darted away from the gates in terror, trying to escape Jareth's wrath. The dwarf was not so lucky. Jareth spotted him and captured the poor dwarf before he ran a foot. The King lifted Hoggle to his face and shook him, his rage breaking through. "This is all your fault!" Jareth roared, madness coloring his mismatched eyes; "You will be put to work as my personal servant until the daydie!s eyes went wider than dinner plates. Before Hoggle could even open his mouth to defend himself, he disappeared, sent to his castigation.

Finally alone, Jareth threw back his head and screamed a bloodcurdling cry into the sky above before crumpling onto the cold, wet ground in anguish.


	2. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

-3 years later-

Jareth was lounged across his throne, his legs dangling over the arm of the chair. He was alone, his only companion being the small crystal sphere he played with, spinning it in intricate knots through his fingers and arms. Although he enjoyed this pastime, he didn't smile. He rarely had a reason to smile anymore. Jareth's appearance had deteriorated the past three years. His skin, although usually quite fair, was a pale grey, stretched tight across his cheekbones from lack of appetite. His eyes had dark circles under them, so deep in colour that it appeared that someone had smudged purple-black chalk under them with a heavy hand. His physical fitness had dissipated to skin and bone. His long, slender hands were still the same, although the joints were more defined, looking as fragile as a bird's. The most terrifying of all were his eyes. Not the dark circles, but his physical eyes. The once warm and mischievous mismatched eyes had become cold and ruthless; blue and brown marbles stuck in a freezer. Because of Jareth's explosive, unbalanced self, not a single goblin dared to enter Jareth's castle without express permission from the King himself. Those summoned went in full of terror, for those who went into the castle seldom returned to their homes. The King made sure the goblins paid for the loss of Sarah.

"Sire?" a hesitant voice called, opening the throne doors. The King sat up instantly, his face filling with practiced malice and evil.

"You dare interrupt me?" Jareth's voice was a deadly, raspy whisper. The poor goblin looked faint with terror.

"N-no sire, I-I mean, yes sire, I-I mean..."

"What is it, you sniveling coward?" Jareth snarled.

The goblin wrung its hands together, slightly crumpling the paper in its hands. Jareth heard the crunching noise and immediately found the source.

"What is that paper you have in your hand?" Jareth asked, his voice a deadly calm while his eyes flamed.

The goblin quickly handed the paper to Jareth, his hand trembling as it was taken. "My soldiers and I were going through the rubbish field, looking for things in our home when this paper caught my eye," he motioned to it in Jareth's hand, "I cannot read very well, but i could see that it was addressed to the Traitor from a person named Sarah-"

"Sarah?" Jareth was out of his throne in an instant. He grabbed the goblin and lifted him to eye level.

"What do you know of Sarah?" he asked tensely, the calm façade barely holding.

The goblin started shaking so badly his teeth chattered, making his words harder to understand.

"N-nothing S-Sire, just that her n-name i-is on the p-paper." he stuttered.

Jareth dropped him abruptly. The goblin fell onto the ground in a ball of terror.

"Get out," Jareth said quietly, "And do not breathe a word of this letter to anyone lest you want a visit to the executioner."

The goblin, hardly believing his luck, scurried out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him.

Jareth waited until the goblin disappeared before he slowly sat down on his throne, staring at the letter as if it was going to disappear. His delicate fingers unfolded it, and Jareth began to read:

**My dearest friend Hoggle-**

**I haven't heard from you in some time. I hope Jareth hasn't been too hard****on you for helping me get through. You know how he can be. Anyways, I just wanted to write to you to**

**let you know about the upcoming events in my life**

**at the moment. First of all, Toby is now in kindergarten a year early! He's getting so big! I****have just graduated college and I am now a high school English teacher in New York City. Busy! But the most exciting thing of all: I'm getting married next week!**

**Robert and I made it official yesterday. I want you to come, so let me tell you the date****and place. It will be Thursday, December 16th at St. Bernard's on 328 W, 14th St.****I hope you can make it. I have a special pew saved just for you (in the back, just in ****case. I know how shy you are and how some people may react) anyways, I hope to****see you there!**

**Lots of love,  
****Sarah**

Jareth's hands started to shake. His eyes flashed, full of rage and fresh pain. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, but didn't fall. His hands closed in, turning into a fist and crushing the letter in his hand. The words bounced around his skull, full of new pain each time it hit him.

"I'm getting married next week" Those words were wasps, stinging relentlessly, mercilessly.

"Damn that unfaithful, ungrateful woman!" He screamed, balling up the letter and hurling it to the ground."Damn her! Curse her! No!" His hands started to glow, his anger causing his magic to seep through his skin, making him lethal to anything near him.

"NO!" he screamed again, pitching his magic across the room. Orbs magically surrounded him, lifting him off his feet. His rage and pain fueled his magic, sending flying crystals everywhere. His irises and pupils disappeared, giving him the look of a possessed soul. He threw his magic, destroying everything in its wake. The forest came down in a ball of fire. The labyrinth walls collapsed with each shattering orb. Black clouds gathered ahead and threw lightning and thunder around him, giving him the fascia of a deranged god.

He felt claustrophobic, full of anger and pain, so he transformed swiftly into an owl and disappeared into the storm.

Hours later, he flies back into his throne room, calmly surveying his outburst. He almost appeared bored as he flicked his wrist. Instantly, the room flew back into order. As the room repaired itself, Jareth quietly slinked into his room like a kicked dog.

And there he stayed. Days passed and Jareth had not left his bedroom. Days turned into weeks and still, no goblin saw him anywhere in the castle. The few goblins who saw Jareth said in hushed tones that he never left his bed and the servants were instructed to leave the food at the door. Rumors spread throughout the kingdom that Jareth had lost his power. Angry goblins started to swarm the castle, desperately trying to find some sort of order as the Goblin City began to crumble from a lack of control. Finally, two months after Jareth disappeared from the public, the goblins rebelled.

"Sire!" a goblin screamed, running into Jareth's quarters uninvited, "Sire! The common goblins have rebelled! They are attacking the castle!"

Jareth didn't move, didn't flinch; made no sign that he heard the goblin's cries.

"Please, my Lord, what shall we do?"

There was a moment of silence from the king; the only noise was the servant's desperate attempts at barricading the doors to the castle. Jareth sat up.

"Let me take care of it," He said, his voice devoid of emotion. He stood, his back to the goblin. "Tell the servants to open the doors."

The goblin nodded and scurried out, worried.

Jareth turned and started to stalk gracefully out of the door, his hands folded behind his back and gripping his riding crop, his gloves straining against Jareth's bony knuckles.

He stepped into the chaotic throne room, standing imperially before his panic-stricken subjects. He pulled the riding crop from behind his back and slammed it against his throne with an ear-shattering _crack!_ making the goblins jump and fall silent. At the sight of their king, many gasped. His hair was lank and dirty, hanging around his face like straw. There were large bags down his eyes which were cold and merciless. The laugh lines around his eyes and mouth was gone, his lips thin and white. His cheekbones were straining against the skin, looking as sharp as all of his joints. He was thin and grey as a famine victim, but he radiated power.

In a quiet, dead voice, he began to speak.

"I know the rumors have gone around, saying that I have lost my power over the Labyrinth and the goblins within. But I am here to assure you that I am indeed your ruler, and I will be treated as such. Any more foolishness and I promise that every last one of you will regret it. I am in charge, and you will obey. I have some new… laws… that will be followed, and if not, dire consequences will follow. Now get out." Without warning, he lashed out at the nearest goblin to him with his riding crop, bringing the weapon down with all of his strength. The goblin screamed and crumpled to the ground, clutching his bleeding and swollen face. The goblins panicked and bolted for the exit as Jareth whipped every goblin he could reach, taking his anger and pain out on them.

He was lying in bed when a bubble floated into his bedroom from the open window. It floated to Jareth just as he sat up. He stretched his hand out and the bubble popped, dropping a heavy envelope made of expensive cream paper in his outstretched hand. His elegant fingers tore open the envelope and read its contents. It was an invitation to a ball in celebration of his neighbor king's birthday. Jareth grimaced; he always hated those balls. The Fae were a very nosy, chattery lot and always tried to pry into his mysterious life. However, he needed to do something to get the letter out of his mind. He conjured up a bubble of his own to accept the invitation; his first acceptance in over 200 years.

'No doubt that'd give them some gossip for a few centuries,' Jareth thought scathingly.

Mentally and physically exhausted from the day's toll, Jareth rolled over on his back and fell asleep.

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City..."

Jareth was back in the ruins, Sarah as beautiful as he remembered, dressed in the guise of the mythical princess from her story. She towered over him, her hair and clothes whipping around her in the magical wind that surrounded her like a tornado. Her eyes were filled with such disgust and hatred, Jareth flinched.

"For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great..."

"Sarah, NO!" Jareth tried to yell, but he was mute, helpless to what was unfolding. "Don't leave me again! NO!"

"YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME!" Sarah screamed, the ground opening up beneath Jareth. He fell, staring into Sarah's eyes the entire time. He landed hard on his back, Sarah standing over him with scorn on her face.

"I never loved you," she sneered. "You stupid, silly Fae. Haven't your parents taught you anything? Do you really think I cared for you, when any man would throw themselves down on the ground for me? Do you think, that if you captured my attention for a wee 13 hours, that I would be madly in love with you? You pitiful creature." she leaned down; Jareth could smell her breath, musty and the scent of death and hopelessness. "You will die alone," she snarled. "Never to be loved for the disgusting monster you are." she stood and turned. "Goodbye Jareth. Forever." she transformed into a raven and flew away, Jareth reaching longingly for the thing he loved most but who never stopped causing him pain.

"NO!" Jareth screamed, bolting up in bed. He was panting, sweat running off his face and pooling in the silk sheets. He clutched his chest, where his frantic heart was beating, full of terror and adrenaline. No one responded, the other side of the bed empty and cold. He leaned forward, putting his face in his hands.

"This needs to stop, it is weakening me," he muttered to himself. "Sarah isn't coming back." his own words sliced his heart so deeply, it was only holding on by a sliver. His next words were the knives that severed the last bit. "She is dead. Her love for me, if there ever was, is dead to me. She is gone." His heart grew cold, but stayed broken. The coldness and detachment numbed to pain in his soul.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"Goblin! My cloak!" Jareth snapped. A miniscule goblin- named Paddle- scurried in, and in his rush, accidently slipped on his master's cape and tumbled to the ground at Jareth's feet, tangled in the black fabric.

"Pitiful creature," Jareth snarled cruelly, snatching the cloak, causing poor Paddle to do a twirl in the air before landing hard on the stone floor. Not even sparing Paddle a glance, Jareth straightened his cloak and pinned it in place. He took a long look at himself in the dirty mirror and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and was transported to the ruins in his nightmare, once again seeing Sarah's face twisted with hatred and scorn, reliving the words she snarled at him.

"Why is it always the ones you love that hurt you the most?" he sighed, his broken heart aching in his chest. His eyes still shut; Jareth began to sing, forgetting he wasn't alone.

"What hurts the most

Is being so close

and having so much to say

and watching you walk away

"and never knowing

what could've been

and not seeing that loving you

is what i was trying to do,"

Paddle paused and listened. Jareth's voice was so full of pain; he felt tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes. His small heart broke for his master.

"Sire," Paddle spoke softly, tugging on Jareth's cloak. Jareth looked down and saw Paddle holding out his riding crop. Hating the pity in the goblin's eyes, Jareth slapped him across his face with the riding crop and stormed out without a word.

Jareth was lounged comfortably on the reserved pew in the very back of the church, the one meant for Hoggle. The entire pew was shrouded in shadow, the only light in the church from all of the lavender scented candles, giving the church a relaxed and mystical pretense. He was late, however that suited him well, for he didn't have to wait long for the ceremony to start. Jareth smirked and flicked his wrist slightly, and the music began to play.

The guests-sans Jareth- stood up and looked to the entrance. Jareth was fiddling with the glove on his right hand when the swish of a dress involuntary pulled his eyes to the source. It was Sarah, her wedding dress reminiscent to the same one Jareth had her in three years ago. Her rich, dark curls were pulled to her back, intertwined with silver leaves, a gossamer veil covering her radiant face. Jareth's heart sputtered and died in his chest when the full realization hit him. She was lost. Forever. She was walking voluntarily into the breast of another man. Jareth's eyes stung and his hand slipped off the pew.

It was then Jareth realized that he was craning his neck anxiously to get a glimpse of his lost lover. He chided himself and slipped back into the relaxed, 'I-could-care-less' position while his shattered heart stung in his chest, the ice around it growing colder and thicker as his emotions were replaced with hatred. He hated her, he hated her with a cold passion that thickened his armor; he hated her dark, sweet-smelling hair; hated her smile, her green eyes, her beauty.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the bond of matrimony between Sarah Anne and Robert Matthew." The priest (or pastor, Jareth didn't care; human worshippers to false gods were to no interest to him) began to drone on about how "no two souls were made more for each other," making Jareth want to obviously gag aloud like a jealous schoolboy, although he satisfied himself by rolling his eyes very, very obviously.

"Do you, Sarah Anne, take Robert Matthew, to love and to honour, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the priest asked, recapturing Jareth's attention.

"No," Jareth whispered imperceptibly.

"I do," Sarah spoke, her voice ringing through the church like music box bells.

"No," Jareth repeated. His hands began to shake as the blood drained from his face. His calm face was beginning to crack.

"If anyone has any objections to this couple, speak now or forever hold your peace."

"Well, I certainly won't hold my peace," a very familiar voice cut through the harmonious silence. Sarah turned from her fiancée only to look at no other than Jareth, standing up in the pew reserved for Hoggle.

"Jareth?" Sarah asked, angry tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "Where's Hoggle? Why are you here? You weren't invited!" she half shrieked in terror. She didn't want Jareth to see her with another man; it made her feel like she was cheating.

Still looking at her with that piercing gaze, Jareth slowly walked from the pew and onto the aisle. For Sarah, it was like looking into the eyes of a stranger. All the mischievousness was gone, replaced by stone. His body structure was thinner, his cheeks sallow. He still walked with grace, but he was tense, his hands folded behind his back. But the most alarming transformation that terrified her the most was his eyes. They were haunted, and colder than the arctic, full of cold hatred. All directed at Sarah. Suddenly she felt very small. His eyes had the same look as those behind a pistol, shooting to kill.

"Hey, buddy, what do you think—" Robert had stepped protectively in front of Sarah, but he suddenly froze. Sarah started, looking at all the other guests. Jareth had frozen time.

He continued to walk up to her, looking like a predator. He got up to the stairs and put his hand almost tenderly on Robert's face. Just when Sarah thought he was going to do something crazy, like kiss him, Jareth pushed with all his might. Robert flew through the air and crashed into a row of pews on top of one of the female guests.

Jareth reached out the same hand towards Sara hand stroked her cheek. She shivered, for his hands were like ice.

"Hello again, my dearest Sarah," he said softly. She would've believed that he was seducing her if it weren't for the cold, cruel look in his eyes. His touch grew forceful as he gripped her jaw, the veins standing out on his hand as he tried to control his anger.

"Don't be so surprised, _dear_," he said sardonically, gritting his teeth so tight that his jaw began to ache.

"Jareth," Sarah gasped, searching his eyes for what used to be, "What happened to you? You've become..."

"A monster?" Jareth snarled, his fangs glinting in the candle light. "My dear, you haven't even heard of my recent accomplishments these four years,"

Sarah said nothing, her eyes desperately searching his for the man she knew before.

"I guess you are wondering where Higgle-"

"Hoggle—"

"Is?" Jareth pressed, his grip growing impossibly tighter on her jaw, ignoring Sarah's correction. She smiled a bit, seeing a flicker of his old self, not this cold shell.

"Yes. Where is he? You didn't punish him too bad, did you?" Sarah pleaded.

Jareth smiled, scaring Sarah. It was an evil smile, filled with malice and unspoken threats. "Yes, I did. He betrayed me, allowed you to escape with my prize. So..." his smile grew impossibly wider, making Sarah think of the Cheshire cat, filled with evil intent and hidden secrets he was dying to tell her, just to cause pain. Forgetting her fear, Sarah pushed Jareth's hand away and grabbed him by the front of his cape.

"What did you do to him? What did you do?!" she screamed, praying he was not going to say what she knew he was going to say. He pried her fingers loose easily and spoke:

"Calm down, girl. Goodness, you are going to ruffle my cape." he shoved her away, making her trip and fall flat on her butt.

He leaned down. "Do you want to know what I did to that traitor and thief? I chopped off his hands-"

"No," Sarah gasped, scarcely daring to believe it.

"-Cut out his tongue-"

"No,"

"-and cut off his head!" Jareth finished, his heart rising at the pain he was causing her; his smile full of cruelty and evil joy.

"NO!" Sarah screamed, tears running freely down her face. "Why?" she sobbed.

"TO PUNISH YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!" Jareth screamed at her, losing his cool. "LOOK AT ME! IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? TO DRIVE ME TO THE BRINK OF MADNESS? WELL IT WORKED! I WILL DESTROY YOUR LIFE AS YOU HAVE DESTROYED MINE! I WILL RUIN YOU! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!" He paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened them again, his eyes were less demented. He bent down to her eye level and spoke softly, stroking her cheek. She flinched.

"Sweet dreams, Sarah," he smiled. On that note, Jareth melted into nothingness, and time started.


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"Goblin," Jareth called, adjusting his midnight coat. A goblin rushed in.

"Yes, My Lord?" the goblin asked, bowing deeply.

Jareth turned from the dirty mirror before him and looked at the tall, thin creature.

"How do I look?"

The goblin- named Hoggle- studied his master. His spiky blonde hair was showered with its usual glitter, his breeches black and proudly showing his masculinity. His dark grey poet shirt was tucked it, his strange amulet sitting on his chest. His knee-high black boots almost completely blended in with the breeches, and the torn cloak gave him the true Fae regalia. He looked like a proud lord, much like he used to. Hoggle bowed again.

"Absolutely terrifying Your Majesty. You will strike fear into the hearts of all the men, and lust into the hearts of the women. As usual, of course My Liege."

Jareth allowed himself a half-smile of affection to this brown-nosing goblin.

"See, Hoggle?" Jareth asked, turning back to the mirror, "This is why you are my favorite."

Hoggle grinned, hiding how much he loathed his master.

"Thank you, My Lord."

Jareth adjusted his cloak again, and brushed a strand of gold from his eyes. "Well, I best be going. Don't want to be late for the ball." he stepped off the platform he was on and strode out the double doors, leaving Hoggle alone in the room, plotting the assassination of the Goblin King.

The palace was magnificent. It had a large, cast-iron gate that lead into an expansive outdoor courtyard. The palace itself seemed to be made of fire opal, shimmering and changing color like solid water; changing and moving, but still and solid. It had seven towers, four at the entrance wall, three behind, giving it the appearance of Cinderella's castle, surrounded by trees like the castle in Neuschwanstein, Germany.

Jareth strode in through the open gates and was immediately greeted by his friend, King Archibald.

"Jareth! My goodness, it has been, what, a hundred fifty years?" Archibald grinned and thumped Jareth on the back. Archibald was Jareth's elder by fifty years, but appeared as ageless as Jareth. He had dark, thick red hair, and a generous bone structure. He had grown a bit since Jareth last saw him, due no doubt to the abundance of wealth and food he has been gifted with.

"Two hundred, Archibald." Jareth corrected, grinned back.

"My, my, you've gotten thin. Has something happened?" Archibald's eyebrows disappeared into his red hair. His thick Irish accent was filled with concern. "Ye ain't hurt, right? Nor any of your little goblins?"

Jareth smiled slightly, rubbing his friend's shoulder reassuringly.

"Not physically, Archibald, not physically, however certain minorities have lost their ways on leadership." Jareth removed his hand and clasped them together behind his back. Archibald looked at him a moment, puzzlement clear on his features (being friends with Jareth meant you were almost always confused with his constant riddles), but he was spared from saying anything more when a young girl strode forward.

"Ah, lad, meet me daughter, Isadora. Lassie, this is my friend, King Jareth of the Labyrinth."

Jareth's eyes widened and he straightened as he took into account Isadora's beauty. Unlike her father, she was tall and willowy, taking after her mother in her rich, dark hair and pale skin. She looked like a porcelain doll, with the slightly pink cheeks and red lips in stark contrast to her pale face. Her strange gold eyes darted to the floor when she saw Jareth, and a slight pink coloured her neck and face. She was wearing a light gold gown that brought out her eyes and the small golden leaves woven into her curled hair.

"Archibald, do you mind if I ask your daughter for a dance?" Jareth asked his friend, his eyes not leaving Isadora's face.

Archibald looked to his daughter, then to Jareth, and back to his daughter. A smile of understanding crossed his face.

"If I were to allow anyone to dance with my daughter, there would be no finer man than you, Jareth." On that note, Archibald left Jareth and Isadora.

Jareth offered a gloved hand to Isadora. "May I have this dance?" Jareth asked, smiling to her. She looked up and hesitantly took his hand. A smile crossed her lips as she shyly looked into his eyes through her thick, dark lashes. Jareth smirked in return and pulled her gently into the middle of the floor. He placed his other hand on her waist and guided her into a traditional ballroom dance. Many envious eyes followed them as they skirted throughout the room. All the other dancers immediately moved, giving Jareth and Isadora the floor while giving them a sight to behold. No Fae attending had ever seen Jareth be so taken with any woman. It was a shock to see him dancing with a woman, and Princess Isadora, no less!

Sensing the many eyes upon them, Jareth smiled to Isadora and slowly came to a stop. He leaned over to her ear.

"There are too many eyes here. Would you like to go to the fountain?" he whispered, his breath tickling Isadora's ear.

Isadora said nothing, just smiled and blushed. Jareth took that as a 'yes' and swept her out of the room and into the courtyard, shutting the doors firmly behind them.

The couple was sitting by the fountain, holding hands but not speaking. Isadora looked at Jareth and saw his face was drawn, stony. She squeezed his gloved hand gently.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. Jareth turned to her and smiled slightly, his eyes untouched by the warmth, staying as cold and implacable as they had been for four years.

"Not quite," he sighed, looking back at the full moon, "I... I think I just destroyed a life."

"Did you... Kill... Someone?" Isadora asked, her eyes widening.

"No! No, I didn't kill... I just told someone that I murdered their friend... Just to cause them pain." he bowed his head, looking ashamed. Isadora relaxed and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Tell me," she whispered, looking at Jareth through her eyelashes.

Jareth looked at her, his eyes and expression utterly vulnerable, so full of pain that Isadora had to look away.

"I was invited to a wedding of a... Friend... And this friend had hurt me, very badly, by taking away the woman I fell in love with. This girl is... Human... But very beautiful. She was taken from me, and I found her at her wedding, and yelled… horrible things to her... I told her that I murdered her friend to punish her for what she did to me."

"Did you?" Isadora asked calmly.

Jareth rounded on her. "No," he snapped. "No, I, I told him that I was going to chop off his head, but I really just sent him to my castle to be my servant for life as his punishment versus murder, that I would supply the necessities if he would just pretend he was dead. I did the same to the girl's other friends, begging them to listen to me. So far they have. I haven't murdered before and I sure as hell will not let some human girl to drive me to that." he turned away from Isadora. "She almost drove me mad," he whispered, "she did drive me mad. How do I know that I'm not imagining all this? Am I really in my bedroom, ranting and raving?" He looked back into Isadora's sympathetic face.

"You are living in the real world." She said softly, stroking his hand with her soft fingers, tracing shapes in his hands as she stared into his eyes.

"How do you know?" Jareth breathed, his eyes on her lips. Unconsciously, the pair were leaning closer together, and stopped an inch away.

"If you were hallucinating, this wouldn't be real."

"What—" Jareth started, but he was interrupted as Isadora closed the space between their lips.

Sarah was home, in her bed curled in a fetal position. She was still crying. Robert had given up trying to comfort her hours ago, and he left her to be alone in her grief. Sarah got up and stumbled into the bathroom. She pressed both her hands on the mirror and cried.

"Hoggle! Oh no, no..." she sank to the ground, tears stopping because she had no more to shed. In the midst of her grief, she was startled by a gentle hand on her shoulder. She whirled around and was face-to-face with none other than Hoggle!

"Hoggle!" Sarah screeched, launching herself in his arms. Hoggle hugged her back then gently pried her away.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" he asked, his eyes filled with confusion.

"I thought you were dead!" Sarah hiccupped, putting her hands in front of her mouth.

"Dead?" Hoggle raised his brow in confusion.

"Yes! Jareth told me that... He… _murdered_ you!"

Hoggle raised an eyebrow at Sarah. "You really believed him?" he said, his lips turning up in amusement.

Sarah paused. "Yes... The look in his eyes... It was too... Cold! Like the arctic. I hardly recognized him. He's changed into something... Deadly."

Hoggle rolled his eyes. "You are too dramatic for your own good Sarah." he smiled comfortingly and patted her shoulder. "There there. Don't cry! Jareth... Well, he's a fickle one."

"Fickle isn't exactly the word I would've used." Sarah muttered, "Maybe another word that begins with "f"…" Hoggle shrugged.

"Well, Jareth only told you that I was dead because... Well, you destroyed him, Sarah. After you left, he... He went mad. He was deranged. After he left you at your home in the Aboveground, he told me that he was going to kill me for my betrayal. But when he… sent me, there's really no way to describe it, I opened my eyes and found myself in his castle, and I am now put to work as his personal servant. He said that he'd supply me with my heart's desires, as long as I didn't leave. And I haven't. He even left me a mirror to go see you."

Sarah stared at Hoggle in disbelief. "He... Did that?"

"Yes," Hoggle smiled, but just as quickly it faded. "But the only reason he didn't kill me was because of you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. He came to me. I asked him why I wasn't dead, and he told me that it would destroy you and you'd never trust him again. But... When he got the invite from you to me... He... Blew up. It was terrifying. He destroyed the Labyrinth."

"He what?!" Sarah gasped, hardy daring to believe it. "But it was his pride! How—?"

It held too many painful memories, I guess," Hoggle shrugged. "I haven't seen him since. However, there is a rumor going around the goblin city that he's found himself a mate."

Sarah froze, her face going expressionless. Hoggle wasn't paying attention, his eyes grew wistful.

"I heard that she is the most beautiful and respected royal Fae ever to live. It is told that she and Jareth were made for each other. A goblin on the inside has told goblinfolk that Jareth was planning to pop the question soon. I sure hope so."

Sarah stayed still, as if the slightest movement would shatter her. "When did they meet?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, the same day of your wedding, he went to a ball in celebration of his friend's birthday and met Isadora."

Sarah nodded."Thank you, Hoggle, and I truly am glad that you are alive." she hugged him quickly, "Well, I need to go, Robert's concerned and I need to go put his mind at ease. I'll see you tomorrow?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"Sure, Sarah," Hoggle smiled and climbed back into the mirror, disappearing instantly. Sarah's fake smile dropped and she hugged herself.

"Why does it hurt so much to know that he's in love with another?" Sarah asked herself.


	5. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Jareth was inside his throne room, lazily lounged across his throne, flicking his riding crop at goblins who came too near. The Goblin City had relaxed at their King's dramatic change in mood. Things had finally gone back to the way they were. No more goblins disappeared, and the castle was once again open to all. Jareth went back to his happy, singing self, playing mischievous pranks on the new guest at the castle: his _aficionada_, Isadora. All the goblins absolutely adored Isadora, and in return she was the kindest to the goblins than anyone, even Sarah, had been to the impish creatures. Jareth was right in the middle of humming a new song to himself when two small, elegant hands were placed over his eyes. He grinned.

"Hm, I wonder who this could be," Jareth said thoughtfully, making the goblins listening snicker happily.

"Paddle?" Jareth guessed.

A girlish giggle. "Nope,"

"Hoggle?"

"No!" another giggle.

Jareth froze, then with lightning speed he was standing and holding Isadora close to his chest, eyes still closed and her hands over them.

"Hmm..." he said, smelling her hair. "Is this... Isadora?"

She laughed and removed her hands from his eyes. "Yay! You win!"

The goblins all burst into laughter at the two's antics. Jareth rolled his eyes at what goblins find entertaining, picked up Isadora, and danced to his throne; Isadora on his lap and playing with his hair.

"What are you doing?" Jareth asked as he felt a strange tugging on his scalp.

"Braiding it," Isadora said, feigning indifference.

"Oh, no you don't." Jareth grinned, tugging his hair away from her fingers. She started to pull them away, but Jareth grabbed them both before she could. Isadora, thinking he was playing a trick on her, looked up at him, prepared to yank them away teasingly. The look in his eyes stopped her.

Jareth, the powerful goblin king, slid young and lithe Isadora off his lap and sat her on the royal throne as he got down on both knees as a sign of servitude; his hands still clasping hers. Isadora's breath hitched in her throat and tears beaded in the corners of her eyes in anticipation. All the goblins were silent, astounded and confused as to what was happening.

"Isadora," Jareth began, his voice as smooth as caramel, lovingly caressing her name, "I love you more than anything in the world. I not only owe you my sanity, but I owe you my life. I will take care of you, if you will honor me, love me, and in return I will serve you. Will you be my Queen?"

Isadora pulled her right hand away and put it over her mouth as tears streamed freely down her face. She was silent for a while, her eyes closed, and Jareth's smile faltered. Memories flashed behind his eyes.

"Do you really think I could ever love you?" Sarah sneered at him, her words echoing in his mind. Suddenly, it was Sarah he saw instead of Isadora, Sarah who removed her hand from her face and sneered at his attempts at finding love. Jareth closed his eyes for a moment to collect himself and banish the phantasm.

"Yes!" a shriek startled his eyes open. Isadora was grasping his hands with hers, tears still running down her face.

"Yes! Oh, yes, yes!" she launched herself into Jareth's arms. He laughed and they kissed, more passionately than ever before. When they finally broke apart, Jareth conjured a crystal and put it in her left hand. A blinding flash of light, and a lovely ring seemingly made out of pure diamond was intricately wrapped around her finger in a pattern of ivy leaves. In the center of the ring was a gold diamond, the exact shade of Isadora's eyes. Jareth took her hand, his eyes brimming with happiness, walked over to the grand window with the view of the repaired Goblin City and the Labyrinth surrounding it.

"Subjects!" Jareth called out, his voice magnified magically, "Meet your new Queen!"

The response was a sky-shaking roar of approval. With the Goblin City's approval, Jareth tightened his grip on Isadora's hand and lead her away from the window, out of the throne room, and into his private chambers, shutting the doors behind him.

Sarah was in the bathroom, applying mascara for her anniversary dinner. Robert was downstairs, grabbing their coats. Sarah leaned a bit closer to the mirror to fix a smudge under her eye. Out of nowhere, Hoggle 's face was in the mirror, emitting a small shriek from Sarah.

"Sarah!" Hoggle yelled, "Great news!" He bounced off the sink and slid to the ground. His grin was wide, his smile happier than ever. Sarah grinned and stooped down.

"What is it?"

"Jareth let me out of hiding! The greatest thing happened though! I was down at the bakery, getting more rock biscuits, when Jareth and Queen Isadora came out-"

"Wait, Queen?" Sarah started.

"Yeah, they got married six months ago. Anyways, they came out and told the city that we are going to have a baby prince soon! Jareth will finally have an heir!"

Sarah didn't speak.

"Sarah?" Hoggle asked cautiously, "You alright?"

"Yes," Sarah said, smiling at Hoggle. "That's great news!"

"Sarah!" came a call from downstairs.

"Oh, sorry, I have to go. See you later, okay Hoggle?" Sarah gave him one last smile and darted from the bathroom. Hoggle stayed where he was, looking at the door where Sarah left.

"Hm..." Hoggle muttered. He turned back to the mirror and disappeared.

Sarah rounded the corner in the hallway, hand over her mouth as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She felt betrayed; her face paling as she recalled the soft look in Jareth's eyes before she made the biggest mistake of her life.

"Why did I say no?" she whispered, sinking down to the ground and burying her face in her arms as she sobbed her pain away. And this was where Robert found her, once more reduced to tears in front of a man she did not love; haunted by Jareth's eyes, his lips, his love. Gone.


	6. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Two Years Later

"Emory! What are you doing on Daddy's throne?" Isadora crooned to her son. Little Emory had ahold of his father's riding crop, and was happily whacking it on the side of the throne and any goblin who came too close. Poor Paddle chose that moment to walk past the throne, carrying a large stack of folded laundry. Emory wrinkled his nose in a parody of his father and whipped Paddle with the crop, sending him tumbling. Isadora hid her smile behind her hand as she bent down to help Paddle pick up the fallen laundry.

"Jareth! You need to see our little ruler." Isadora called, not moving her eyes from her son. Jareth sauntered in as Isadora stood and put an arm around her waist. He smiled at his son's antics. "He will be a great ruler one day." He sighed.

The room suddenly went dark. A crystal conjured itself in midair and hung suspended without assistance. Isadora moved closer to her husband in fear. Emory paused his cooing to stare at the glowing crystal, wonder and fear etched in the concerned lines of his soft face. The crystal was cloudy, and suddenly a loud scream erupted from its depths.

"No! No, please! No! Jareth! Jareth! Help me! Oh, God, _no!_" a slap sounded. Jareth reached a hand out automatically as the crystal began to fall. He caught it and a scene unfolded. Jareth simply watched with a resigned and stony expression, while Isadora's eyes were wide with fright. It was Sarah, her husband standing before her. She was on the ground, holding her cheek, which had begun to bruise. Her eye was swollen and black, numerous cuts lacerated her perfect face. Her husband raised a fist for another blow when she cried out.

"Jareth! Please, you must help her!" Isadora begged, tearing her face from the ugly scene to her husband.

He turned sharply to her. "I owe that girl nothing. She probably deserves what she's getting. Why should I?" he snapped coldly. Isadora just stared at her husband, his abrupt and cold transformation unnerving her.

"If you won't do it for her, do it for me and Emory. Please." Isadora picked up their son and held him close to her. Jareth took a long look at his wife and son. He stroked Emory's pale face and sighed.

"Alright. I'll be right back." he kissed his wife and disappeared, forever changing their future together.

"Please, Robert, please. Don't hurt me!" Sarah cried. She was sprawled on the ground, her cheek bruising up from his first punch.

"You lying cheating bitch!" he yelled, "Who's Jareth? Is he the guy you've been screwing behind my back?" he pulled his fist back for another blow. Sarah threw her arms up to protect her face. The sound of splintering bone, but no pain. Sarah peeked through her hands. Jareth was standing protectively in front of her and Robert was on the floor. His nose was broken and he was trying to stem the flow of blood gushing from his nose like an open faucet.

"YOU!" Robert yelled, recognizing Jareth from the scene at his wedding. He clambered back up to his feet, slipping twice in his own blood.

Jareth said nothing, then abruptly he transformed into an owl and started attacking Robert with his needle-like talons. Robert started yelling and ran out the door. Jareth turned back into a human and slammed the door angrily, locking it with a flick of his wrist.

Sarah stayed on the floor, shock at Jareth's appearance rooting her to the spot. Her cheek throbbed and she winced, putting her hand back on it.

Jareth noticed and walked over to her. He squatted down and put a gloved hand on her cheek, his skin icy through the leather.

"He struck you," Jareth stated emotionlessly. "I did not arrive quickly enough." He stood and offered her a gloved hand. She just stared at it, speechless, trying to figure out his reasoning.

He sighed angrily. "You need to hurry. He will be back."

"I can't trust you," Sarah spoke finally. "You lied to me. Hoggle isn't dead."

He sneered, "Congratulations on learning the truth. I thought you'd be grateful when you found out that he wasn't dead. More expectations for me, hm? I can't trust you either. You tried to destroy my hold on my subjects, remember? So, I guess we are on even ground." he offered his hand again. Still, Sarah did not take it.

"How do I know you won't try to seduce me?"

Jareth let out his breath sharply and pulled his hand back to his side hastily. "I wouldn't. You hold no charms for me, Sarah Williams. Not anymore. And, for the sake of argument, even if you did, I would not try such things before my wife and son." He offered his hand again.

Sarah sat there a moment, but then took his hand reluctantly. He smirked, and the two disappeared just as Robert crashed through the front door.

"Daddy!" Emory yelled, seeing Jareth materialize in the throne room. Jareth abruptly let go of Sarah's hand and walked over to his son, arms outstretched. He picked him up and hugged him tightly to his chest. Just then, Isadora walked in and hugged her husband. She looked over and saw Sarah sitting on the ground, feeling uncomfortable and as out of place as a book in an electronic store.

"Oh, you poor dear," Isadora said, moving towards Sarah. She knelt down and started. When the girl was being beaten, Isadora had been so concerned with trying to convince Jareth to save the girl that she paid no heed to the girl's appearance. Sarah was a mirror image of Isadora, including the long, slightly wavy ebony hair, thin fingers, supple form. The only difference between the two was that Sarah looked older—poor humans— and her eyes were green instead of gold. Isadora ignored the initial surprise and helped Sarah to her feet. She smiled warmly, and Sarah was struck by a cold icicle of jealousy in her heart. How would Jareth ever love her with this kind and beautiful wife in the way? She forced herself to smile back, but the tears that formed in the corners of her eyes contradicted her smile.

Isadora led Sarah to her chambers, speaking soothingly to her. Jareth was left in the throne room with his son, who happily played with Jareth's hair.

Isadora lead Sarah to the Escher, surprised when the girl halted, a terrified look on her face. Isadora looked at her, mildly surprised, when something clicked. Her face relaxed.

"Ah... You are Sarah Williams, the girl who defeated my husband." she had a soft, mellifluous voice much like Jareth's only they sounded eerily like bells.

Sarah looked into Isadora's strange golden eyes. "How do you know me?"

Isadora smiled and led Sarah to—by her perspective— a random door. "He speaks often of you, although they are not the kindest things, I'm afraid. He gets very territorial about his Labyrinth." she giggled uncomfortably.

"He does have a kind heart though. You should see him when he plays with Emory. Ah, here we are," Isadora stopped and opened a tall door made of dark walnut. She escorted Sarah into the enormous room.

"Make yourself at home. There are clothes in the wardrobe, and various soaps and bandages in the bathroom." she smiled kindly. "When you are ready, take the third door to the right on the ceiling, and we will have dinner. Remember: right is left and up is down." she smiled again and closed the door, walking back to the family Sarah's dreamed about since she first met the Goblin King.


	7. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

"She's very quiet," Isadora observed while she sat in her usual place next to Jareth. She was sitting relaxed at the chair like Jareth, bouncing Emory in her lap.

"She is a cunning, devious woman who hunts for sympathy and lust. An everyday femme fatale, and I was weak enough to fall for it six years ago. Not anymore." he smiled and leaned over to his wife, stroking her cheek lightly.

"This is a new story," Isadora laughed, leaning her head on his gloved hand. "How is she a femme fatale?"

Jareth sighed and leaned back. "Well—" he stopped and looked towards the door at the sound of someone eavesdropping.

Sarah was standing in the doorway, her head down and her face reddening. She heard every word. Jareth smirked callously, relishing her discomfort.

Isadora looked to her husband in confusion, wondering what it is about Sarah Williams caused him to act that way. She looked back to Sarah, smiled warmly to try to compensate for her husband's unusually cruel nature and stood, passing the squirming child to Jareth as she greeted her guest. Jareth looked down at Emory and bounced the child conjuring a crystal for him to play with, not even glancing at Sarah as she sat down at the far end of the table.

"Sarah! I'm glad you could join us. The food should be ready soon, just let me go check with the chef." she smiled at her husband. "You know how Paddle can be." he smiled in return as his wife sauntered into another room, her long skirts swishing as she walked. The doors closed, and Sarah was left alone with Jareth and Emory, who had just been placed gently on the ground at Jareth's feet. There was a long, awkward silence as Jareth avoided her gaze.

"Thank you," Sarah whispered.

"For what?" Jareth asked, fiddling with his glove, not even sparing a glance in her direction as she spoke.

"For saving me." She said softly, trying not to get irritated at his lack of attention to her.

He snorted. "I didn't do it for you," he sneered, finally looking at her. His eyes were cold, "I did it for Isadora. She begged me to help you. I was all to willing to let you deal with your soul mate on your own." Sarah's eyes widened.

He went back to fiddling with his glove, leaving Sarah feeling like crap. She slammed her hand on the table in frustration and stood while he just sat there. _How dare he treat me like this?_

"What is wrong with you?" she yelled, "You've never been this cold, this cruel! You are being horrible to me! What did I do to deserve this?"

Jareth just looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "You don't know what you did?" he asked quietly. Inside, he was a volcano, exploding with anger and pain.

"No."

"I'll tell you what you did." Jareth snapped, standing up. He slowly started to walk around the table towards her, throwing accusations at her each step.

"You wished the child be taken, but called me the villain when I granted your wish. You turned my subjects against me. You tantalized me with your dreams. You undermined me before my subjects. I offered you the world, and you destroyed mine. I kept your friend alive when I so desired to kill him. You married another man! You shoved me to the brink of insanity! How do you not know what you did to me? You deserve this and more! You are _only_ here because my wife is asking me to let you stay. I could care less if that wifebeater beat you bloody. It pales in comparison to what you did to me." his voice grew steadily louder, "_You left me to face the world alone! I gave you everything and you gave me nothing! I did everything for you! I fell in love with you that day, and you shattered my heart! I destroyed my Labyrinth! I killed goblins! I—was—alone_!" he was an inch from her face when he straightened and regained control. Emory started to cry, so Jareth turned on his heel, his body tense, and picked him up.

"That is what you did. This is why I treat you as I rightfully should." He looked away to hide the tears in his eyes and stalked out of the room with Emory, leaving Sarah alone with his accusations ringing in her ears. Just then, Isadora walked into the dining room.

"I heard yelling and… oh…" she stopped when she saw Sarah sobbing in her hands. Isadora walked to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Sarah threw it off and stood, throwing her chair down behind her.

"You don't understand anything!" she yelled, "Just leave me alone!" she turned and fled the room, fleeing from the dreams that became her worst nightmare.

"Jareth, she needs to stay."

"No, I won't allow it."

"Won't allow it? She needs our help!"

"She doesn't deserve it."

"Deserving or not, I took a vow."

"Yes, you did. Not me. She needs to leave."

"Why?"

"I... I can't explain. I don't want to yell at you."

"That happened almost seven years ago!"

"You don't understand!"

"Then make me understand."

"I can't!"

Isadora was quiet. "You fell in love with her, didn't you?"

Jareth didn't respond. Isadora sighed.

"Jareth, darling, I trust you. I know you, and I know how hard this is. She broke your heart. But I have repaired it as best as I could. Let her stay for a while. We will find her a new place, just give it time. Remember, you don't have to speak to her. Let me take care of the hospitality."

"... Alright. Fine. Sarah stays."

Isadora smiled. "Good."

So Sarah stayed. For months, Jareth would walk right past Sarah, never address her, as if she wasn't there. Every time he passed her, Sarah would talk feverishly to him, just to see a spark of his old self. Even speaking to her in anger would've been better than this cold, emotionless shell. But he never even looked at her, never spoke to her, never gave her the time of day. It was as if she didn't exist to him. Isadora was kind, friendly, and helpful, but Sarah secretly hated her; hated her for the loving way Jareth looked at her, hated her for not saying no to Jareth's marriage proposal, hated her for having Jareth's child, hated her for being the one to hold onto Jareth when Sarah couldn't.

One summer day, that all changed.

"Jareth," Isadora called. He immediately appeared at her side, and she deposited Emory into his arms. "My mother is sick, and she asked me to stay with her for a week. She's dying." Isadora's eyes got wet. "Will you please stay with Emory? I need to go alone."

"I understand." Jareth said softly, stroking her cheek with his gloved hand. They kissed, and Isadora disappeared.

Jareth left the throne room shortly to go put Emory in his crib for his afternoon nap. Sarah's room was directly across from Emory's, and she heard Jareth speaking softly to his son.

"Mommy's going to be gone for a week, so Daddy will be taking care of you. Won't that be fun? Huh, Emmy?"

Sarah smiled softly to herself to hear Jareth speaking so kindly to Emory, then his words hit her. She was going to be alone with him for a week! Perhaps if Isadora wasn't in the picture, she could find Jareth's love for her. She heard him close the door and walk back to his throne room. Sarah opened the door and closed it just as quietly, walking to the throne room as excitement welled in her stomach.

Jareth was on his throne, lying across the arms and juggling his crystals in one hand. His eyes were closed, taking advantage of his son's rare exhaustion.

"Jareth?" Sarah asked timidly.

He didn't respond. He knew it was Sarah, she had been trying to approach him for months.

"Jareth?"

"What?" he asked impatiently.

She was quiet. He opened one eye and saw that she was wringing her hands.

"What do you want from me?"

He opened both eyes, startled at the conversation's turn. "What?"

"What do you want from me? Why are you pretending I don't exist?"

He smirked and closed his eyes again. "Does it matter?"

"It matters to me!" She snapped, her fiery spirit brimming over. "What happened to you?"

"I have answered this question before."

"No, you haven't. You just said that it was me. What was me? I know what I did to you wasn't optimum—"

"Optimum?" he laughed once, not a pretty laugh.

"—but what is driving you?" she continued, as if he hadn't spoken. Jareth didn't reply.

Sarah finally got irritated. "Do you remember what you sang to me, that day eight years ago?" he didn't respond, although his fists clenched, the crystals disappearing.

She began to sing softly. "But I'll be there for you, as the world falls down... Falling in love."

The effect upon him was immediate. He was out of his throne, his hands on her shoulders instantly. His eyes were filled with rage and pain.

"Don't—sing that damned song in my castle, you hear?" he spoke in that quiet, breathy voice that scared Sarah more than his screams. His hands were shaking and cold through the gloves.

"What is driving you? Why can't you let it go?"

"I can't!"

"Let it go," Sarah whispered, eyes on his lips. Her hands came up and rested them on his neck.

"Let it go," she whispered again. She leaned forward, eyes closing. Their lips met. Jareth felt his control slipping. His eyes closed and his hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer. Sarah was everywhere, the smell of her hair surrounding him. The ice around his heart began to crack, allowing Sarah's warmth to melt it. Their soft kiss grew into something more passionate, their hands no longer lightly on the skin. Sarah broke the kiss, grinning widely. Jareth allowed himself a small smile, and was yanked out of the throne room and into Sarah's private chambers.

That night, the dark of Sarah's bedroom was slashed again and again by lightning; the storm buffeted the castle for hours. As Jareth undressed her, electricity flashed outside, almost as if caused by the desire and heat between them. In her lacy black bra and panties, Sarah watched Jareth pull off his poet shirt while lightning crackled outside, finally slipping his gloves off his hands and onto the ground. Jareth lifted Sarah into his arms and set her down on the bed. He unclasped her bra, his eyes looking intently into hers, watching her reaction. Then he eased the panties down over her hip bones. Just then, the clouds opened and rain poured from the heavens, cold breezes blowing into the open stone window, the curtains dancing in the wind and rain. Jareth kissed his way down Sarah's body. She closed her eyes and arched upward to meet his lips.

"Sarah, my dear Sarah," The face Sarah loved so well was before her, kissing her soft lips again and again. She ran her hands down his smooth, muscular chest, feeling his heart pounding under her fingers.

"Jareth," she breathed, saying his name over and over, loving the taste of it on her tongue. At the exact moment their bodies merged, a bolt of lightning struck so near that the palace seemed to shake; thunder booming shortly after. They froze, stunned by the violence and a bit dazed to see each other in a sudden, provisional brightness to discover themselves in different ways. Every so often, when lightning brightened up the room like the sun, Sarah would stare into her lover's eyes, and the expression on his face—so spellbound, so vulnerable, so utterly hers— was the most beautiful thing Sarah had ever seen in her life.


	8. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

The next morning, Jareth was in Sarah's bed, gently tracing patterns on her back. She was on his chest, sleeping soundly. Jareth's mind was racing and filled with guilt. How would Isadora react if she found out? She'd be disappointed and wouldn't look at me in the eye again. Sadness crossed his heart, but when he looked down at Sarah, he smiled, and the guilt and sadness were chased away. She was finally his.

His mind started to drift again, opening up some strange thoughts. Isadora and Sarah looked almost exactly alike; the only difference between the two was eye color. It was then that Jareth realized that his 'love' for Isadora was merely his love for Sarah, and he was in denial. His subconscious mind selected the woman who looked closest to Sarah.

Jareth gave a quiet laugh to himself. How predictable, he thought, that my subconscious would choose Sarah when I hated her so. Or so I thought. And hadn't I sworn to myself that I wouldn't give in? That I would remain cold and implacable? That didn't really work.

He gave a short laugh again, and Sarah stirred. She looked up at him sleepily and smiled.

"Mornin'," she yawned, snuggling back into his chest.

"Going back to sleep, are we?" Jareth smirked, pulling her tighter.

She smiled in response, her eyes closed. "Why not? It's so warm and comfy here."

"Well, yes, but I hear Emory, so I have to move; and I am sure you are hungry as well?" he smirked, hearing her stomach growl.

"Fine," Sarah muttered, pushing herself off of the bed and holding the blanket to her chest.

"Allow me to get dressed, and I'll meet you in the breakfast room." Jareth nodded and stood, suddenly dressed in his usual poet shirt, tights, and knee-high black boots.

"Show-off," Sarah muttered as Jareth strode out of the room. Laughter told her that he heard.

Jareth walked across the hall and into Emory's room. Sure enough, the child was crying, his blanket torn off as he wailed.

"Shh, Daddy's here Emmy. Shh, Daddy's got you." Jareth lifted Emory out of the crib and onto his him. He bounced him around for a moment until Emory stopped crying. Jareth smirked and left the room into the Escher staircase, taking the third door on the left wall. He strapped Emory into his high chair just as Sarah walked in, clothed in one of the dresses from her closet. It was a pale lavender color, fading into light green towards the hem, complimenting her green eyes and dark hair. She smiled and blushed at Jareth's look of approval.

"It suits you well," Jareth complimented as he slid in his chair at the head of the table. Sarah smiled and stood uncomfortably, unsure of where to sit. Jareth grinned and tapped his right hand on the table.

Sarah took the hint and sat at his right hand, in Isadora's usual seat. Together, all through breakfast they talked about everything and nothing, just glad to have some moments without tension or distrust. The servants came and went during the lulls of their conversation, and shot Jareth looks of disapproval. During one of these lulls, Sarah spoke softly about the inevitable.

"What happens to us when Isadora gets back?" she asked quietly, wringing her hands. She didn't make eye contact with Jareth; rather, she hid her face from him so he wouldn't see her tears.

Jareth was quiet. "I don't know."

"I felt so guilty this morning, considering how kind Isadora has been to me, and how I've repaid her." Sarah hung her head, her shoulders falling. "I just hated her so much... For everything she has... Everything I wanted. She was there for you when I wasn't. She married you, she carried your child. I... I can't compete with that. All I've done is hurt you, over and over. Now, I'll have to leave and I don't know if I'll ever see you again." tears spilled down her face and she bit her lip. "I just wanted to get close to you," she sobbed.

Jareth tried to smile, and he pushed her hair behind her ear with a bare hand, stroking her cheek. "You have competed with that," He said, "I am touching you without a barrier, without a cover. I gave my whole heart to you eight years ago, and you have kept it. I'm not about to let you go. However," he sighed, removing his hand from her face, "You are correct about your leaving. Isadora will be less than pleased if she discovers of our affair, and no doubt your husband-" Jareth scowled, "wouldn't be pleased. Speaking of which, why did he call you... What he called you?" he asked, an unpleasant thought crossing his mind, "And why did you yell for me?"

Sarah looked up at him. "My husband called me a whore because I allowed one of my guy friends to walk me home after we went to a movie with a couple other friends. I kissed his cheek to thank him, and Robert saw. He thought I was cheating on him." she snorted, "He got it half right. And I called for you because, well, I needed help, and you were the first one to pop into my head."

Jareth's eyes suddenly went cold and his face stony. "That sounds just like you, Sarah. Always asking things of me. Always expecting me to be the hero. To follow you like a lost puppy." he spat the words, as if they were full of snake venom. Sarah was appalled.

"Jareth, what—?"

"Is that why you slept with me? To manipulate me?" He was standing now, his voice a deadly calm in contrast to his frame shaking with rage and pain. "What's next?"

"What—?"

"Are you going to tell my wife that I seduced you? That you are the victim, and I'm the villain? Are we going to pick up where we left off eight years ago?" he was yelling now, "DO YOU THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF A GAME?"

Jareth hit his chair with his palm and sent it crashing to the ground. Startled by the noise and his father's rage, Emory began to cry. Jareth walked over to him and picked him up.

"Hush," He said, his face smoothing out to a gentleness Sarah had never seen before. "There now, you are safe." The child quieted almost instantly. Jareth looked up at Sarah again, but the vulnerability was gone. It was as if a wall had dropped behind his eyes, and he was hiding himself behind it.

"We will find you a home when Isadora gets back." he turned and disappeared around a corner, leaving Sarah in the breakfast room alone, wondering what just happened. As quickly as his mood changes used to be, they were never this violent or abrupt.

"What did I say?" she asked the empty room. The only answer was the stinging of her own heart.


	9. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

"Jareth?" a slight knocking on his doors. Jareth was lying in his bed, an open book in his hands and a crystal suspended above him, giving of light. It was night, the darkened sky rumbling with distant thunder.

Jareth looked up from his book but did not reply.

"Jareth?" another soft knock, "Please let me in."

"What is it?" Jareth snapped.

The door creaked open, Sarah standing in the doorway. She had a cream nightgown on, the long, lace sleeves ending at her wrists, the neck going up just under her chin. She was wringing her hands again, her hair loose around her waist. Her emerald eyes searched his face beseechingly.

"Jareth, please, tell me what I did wrong. I don't understand."

Jareth's face hardened. "You used me, that's what happened." He turned his eyes back to his book.

"How?"

Jareth snapped the book shut. "You only called to me because I was the first face that popped in your head? How did you even know I was going to help you? How did you know I even heard you?"

"Because you came," she said simply. "I didn't call you just because I needed help. I called you because I knew you would protect me, even after all I put you through. I called you and only you because I needed you."

"To be your pawn," Jareth finished bitterly.

"To be mine," she contradicted gently. She sat down on his bed and pushed his hair from his face. He didn't pull away, but his eyes were filled with undisguised distrust and a hint of fear.

Jareth sat up, propped on his elbow, and put a hand on her cheek. Eyes still hard, he grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her forward, lips touching hers fiercely. She melted, putting her hands on his chest, feeling the beating of his heart. His other hand grasped her legs and pulled her onto his lap. He broke their kiss and smirked.

"Sorry for blowing up at you," he whispered, touching his forehead to hers and shutting his eyes. "I was just afraid you'd leave me again. To tell me things that I've thought were true for six years."

"Like what?" she breathed.

His smile fell. "That you never loved me; you only toyed with me to get your brother. That you would never love me, that you were disgusted by me."

Sarah smoothed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled herself closer.

"I would never, ever conceive such lies," she whispered, kissing his nose. Jareth smiled and held her by the crooks of her arms. There they sat for a while, just relaxing. After a while, Sarah climbed off him and on the bed next to him. She laid her head on his chest and fell asleep while he finished his novel.

"Sire, breakfast is ready for you in the..." Hoggle came to the door to announce breakfast to his master when he saw another figure in the bed, one that was not the King's wife. Pain stabbed Hoggle straight in the heart, a newfound hatred to his friend sparking his jealousy into an uncontrollable flame.

"Why, Sarah! My apologies, your highness, I didn't realize you were, um, busy." His voice was hard and his eyes cold.

Jareth sat up, Sarah as well.

"Hoggle!" Jareth cried out, looking panicked. Sarah caught on and fear flitted through her face. Hoggle turned hastily and sped from the room, but Jareth was faster. He lifted him by the scruff of his neck and held him up to Jareth's eyes.

"You will not breathe a word of this encounter to anyone, goblin, human, or Fae.

"Understood?" Jareth snapped, putting on his fiercest expression. Hoggle half-smiled.

"Yes, My Lord. I shan't breathe a word of your affair to Queen Isadora, no. That would shatter her heart, would it not?"

Jareth dropped him abruptly. "It won't happen again. I can guarantee it. No reason to tell Isadora." Jareth then shooed him out, but before Hoggle left, he turned his head and looked at Sarah with anger and hurt. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead he left, leaving the door wide open.

"Ohmigod," Sarah gasped, her hands over her mouth. Her wedding ring shone in the morning light, catching Jareth's eye. He instinctively looked down at his own left hand, the ring a stark reminder to his promises.

"We cannot do this anymore, Sarah," Jareth said, looking away from his ring. "We are both promised to others. This is... An abomination. We must end and give vows for this to never happen. We must go back to cold indifference. It is what's best." He bent down and picked up his gloves, pulling them on hastily.

"But, you love me! Not her! Don't go back to her!" Sarah cried out desperately, reaching for her love.

"I do love you," Jareth murmured, "Which is why this must stop. You will go back to your... Husband... And I will go back to my wife."

"I can't go back to him! He'll hit me again!" Sarah's eyes welled with tears. She followed Jareth's gaze and saw that he was looking at her ring. She wrenched it off her hand and flung it out the open window, into the depths of the Labyrinth. "I belong to you! Only you! Please, don't leave me. Not again."

Jareth was quiet, staring out the window to the breaking dawn.

"No! Please, don't do this to me! I love you! Don't send me back into the world alone! Please! Jareth, say you love me." she broke down into rasping sobs, her hands covering her face. Without a sound, his arms were around her, stroking her hair, holding her close. One tear slipped from his eyes and disappeared into her hair. He held her like that for what seemed like ages.

A choking sound brought Jareth back to reality. He turned, and saw Isadora's disbelieving face in the doorway.

"Isadora!" Jareth gasped, letting go of Sarah, who lost her balance and tumbled off the bed, the sheets still clutched to her bare chest. Isadora just looked at them, closed her mouth, and left the room.

"Oh, no," Sarah said, fresh tears breaking from her eyes, looking up at Jareth from the cold stone floor. Jareth didn't even look at her; he just dashed from the room and after his wife.

"Dora! Dora, please, let me explain." Jareth yelled as he chased after her. He followed Isadora with difficulty, finally catching up to her in the ruins.

"Isadora, please." he spoke softly, grabbing her shoulders. Tears silently streamed down her face.

"Why?" was her only question. Jareth tried to pull her into a hug, but she shoved him away.

"Why?" she demanded, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. Her sweet face was contorted with distrust and humiliation. "I leave for a week to visit my dying mother, and I come home to _this_? What the hell happened?"

Jareth was silent.

"I'm giving you a chance to explain, so, dammit, explain!" Isadora yelled, her hands in fists at her side.

Jareth looked her straight in the eyes. "I made a mistake, that much is obvious." he started. Then he told her the whole story, spilling even his darkest desires and dreams, his nightmares, his secret longing and hatred for Sarah. He admitted everything, even what happened eight years ago and why Sarah could easily persuade him. When he finished, Isadora was silent. Her eyes dried, and her expression was impossible to decipher.

Then she smiled, like the sun breaking through dense clouds. She put her hand on his cheek.

"Jareth…" tears welled in the corners of her gold eyes. "There's something I should tell you, but I didn't want to tell you in this context."

"What?" Jareth asked, fear in his eyes.

Isadora's smile brightened. "We… I… I found out when I was with my mother… Jareth, we're going to have a baby."

Jareth's eyes widened. He grinned and lifted his wife in the air by her waist, spinning in circles. He pulled her down and the pair embraced.

"I'm so sorry," Jareth whispered in her ear.

"I forgive you. And I love you very much." She whispered back, "I'm sorry I don't say it enough."

"I love you too," Jareth whispered back, guilt washing over him. "I'm sorry I lost track of what's important."

"It's alright."

The couple embraced for a while, then pulled apart. "Want to see our son?" Jareth asked, his smirk warning Isadora of something.

"Yes?"

"Was that a question?"

"Maybe?" she giggled.

Jareth grinned. "Alright, but he's a wiley one when it comes to his crystals and riding crop."

"His?"

Jareth grinned again. "He's all but claimed them when he slobbers all over them like a dog."

Isadora giggled again and walked with her husband to her son's room, oblivious to the fact that Sarah was standing outside the door to the ruins, sobbing silently as she fled to her room; crying from a broken heart.

About a month later, Sarah was given a small house in New York City from the Goblin King and Queen. Isadora was still being very sweet to Sarah, regarding that she slept with Isadora's husband. As hard as Sarah tried, Jareth did not meet her eyes or even speak to her. Just before they disappeared, Jareth slipped something smooth and round into her hand. He looked up into her eyes and mouthed, 'I'm sorry.' they melted into the daylight, leaving Sarah at her doorstep with the last gift Jareth gave her, or so she thought.


	10. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Present day

The throne room's noise was deafening but Jareth took no notice, other than to whack goblins with his riding crop when they came too close, and another for good measure. Instead, Jareth was thinking about Sarah, wishing their last encounter could've gone differently. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the spitball flying in his direction until it hit him high up on the cheek. Snapped abruptly back into reality, Jareth wiped the spitball off, disgust evident upon his handsome features. His burning blue-and-brown eyes searched murderously for the goblin responsible, who crumpled up into a small ball of fear. The goblins surrounding the victim scurried away like rats, terrified by Jareth's wrath.

"I'm so s-sorry M-My Lord," the goblin squeaked. Trembling, he watched as Jareth gracefully slid off his throne and onto the stone floor, walking steadily yet slowly to his prey. Isadora walked in, biting her lip anxiously. Her health had deteriorated somewhat since the miscarriage, she was thinner and had trouble breathing, but she was recovering. Even so, her emotions were fragile, and she observed the scene with fearful tears in her eyes.

Jareth's eyes were fixed unwaveringly on the goblin, not acknowledging his wife's appearance, silently promising brutal punishment. The goblins in the throne room were silent, watching, waiting for the inevitable strike that was to come. Jareth reached forward, grabbed the goblin by the neck of his stained smock, and lifted him up until the pair were eye-to-eye. Jareth had just conjured a crystal to attack him with when the throne room doors burst open and a hoard of goblins rushed in, lead by Hoggle.

Alarmed at the noise, a full-grown Emory showed up at the entrance his mother came in, a little breathless.

"What's going on, Father?" Emory asked, gasping like a fish from his run to the throne room.

Jareth ignored his son and addressed Hoggle directly.

"What is it? Have you come to relay a message?"

"Yes," Hoggle sneered. "From all the goblins to you."

Jareth waited, one eyebrow raised. "Well?" He asked when nothing happened.

Hoggle's lips curled into an evil grin. "I am taking over the throne as Ruler of the Goblin City and the Labyrinth."

The throne room chatter ceased, everyone stared between Jareth and Hoggle, waiting for Jareth's reaction. He looked stunned, but then he began to laugh. He dropped the goblin and held his stomach, laughing like a madman.

"Oh my..." Jareth straightened up and wiped a tear away. "Thanks for that, Hoggle. I needed a good laugh." he cleared his throat.

"I'm not saying that for your amusement, Jareth," Hoggle snarled, spitting out the King's name.

Jareth stared at him a moment, disbelief evident on his face. His eyes darkened, his features twisted into a sneer. He crossed his arms. "I'd like to see you try." he snarled back.

Hoggle smiled, showing all of his teeth. "Done."

As if it was a code word, every goblin in the room charged at Jareth, Emory, and Isadora.

Jareth's arms were yanked to his back, his shoulder popping from the force. Isadora and Emory were held the same way. Goblins all rushed forth on Jareth and began punching, kicking, and biting their abusive master. The Goblin Rebellion had begun. Hoggle pulled a short dagger from his smock and charged at Jareth, holding it high, intending to murder him while the other goblins held him down, pinning his arms behind his back. Jareth could only look up at Hoggle in hatred, his eye swelling, and waited to die.

"NO!" Isadora screamed. She wrenched herself away from the goblins holding her and ran in the path of the knife. It sliced into her stomach as easily as a hot knife through butter. She landed hard on her back at Jareth's feet, the knife jutting out of her belly.

"Isadora!" Jareth cried out, struggling to reach his wife as she lay dying not two feet from him.

"Mother!" Emory yelled desperately, struggling harder against the goblins' bony fingers, trying to reach his mother. Hoggle laughed cruelly at the family's distress. He sauntered over to Jareth and pulled a crystal from his vest. He put both hands on it and sneered at Jareth, who only had eyes for his dying wife.

"Send Jareth to New York City with the whore he betrayed his family for sixteen years ago." Jareth's head snapped up in horror.

"Father?" Emory whispered. Hoggle sneered and pointed at Jareth.

"Right now."

Sarah was in her bedroom, cleaning off the day's makeup and shedding off her work clothes. She held the wet rag to her face and sighed sadly, her thoughts straying back to where they have been for the past sixteen years. _If only Isadora wasn't in the picture… _Sarah thought sadly, scrubbing her face.

"Sarah," a voice came out of nowhere, startling Sarah and making her drop the soiled rag on the tile floors with a wet _splat!_

"Crap, Hoggle! You scared me!" Sarah smiled in his direction, her eyes on the rag. She picked it up and placed it in the sink. "What's up?" She started to ask, but cut short with the look on his face.

"Hoggle," She asked slowly, her hand on his shoulder. His face was wet; eyes red and puffy, "What is it?"

Hoggle hiccupped and looked at her, "I'm so sorry, Sarah,"

A horrible feeling hit her in the gut like a punch. "Hoggle, what is it?" she could feel the panic starting to bubble over, depositing into her voice. She wanted to shake him, but resisted the urge. Instead she folded her hands into fists and stuffed them in the crooks of her elbows; her fingernails cutting into her palms.

"Jareth…" Hoggle's one word froze Sarah.

"No…" she whispered.

"Jareth… murdered his family. He killed Isadora and Emory."

Jareth was lying face down on the wet concrete, rain soaking through him, dripping down his face. He pulled himself in sitting position, then painfully into standing. He was shaky, so he put a hand on the brick wall next to him. There was a window. He glanced to it, and froze. He was dressed in mortal clothing: a thick black turtleneck, jeans, brown shoes, black fingerless gloves, and a brown trench coat. His face was different... He had aged. His slender fingers probed his soft face in disbelief and horror. His mullet was gone, replaced with a shaggy cut that barely touched the top of his ears. He usually appeared to be late twenties or early thirties, but he looked nearly sixty. His shock wearing off, Jareth's mind started to come back, along with his memories. He looked around the crowded street, looking for a sign. He found one and almost smiled. Sarah's house was a block away!

The rush of memories swirled in his head like waves, crashing around. As he ran to Sarah's, his wife's scream echoed in his head over and over, like a broken record.

He finally came to her porch. Without a second's hesitation, Jareth launched up Sarah's porch and started slamming on her door with his fists.

"Sarah! Sarah!" he screamed, pounding on the door.

"They're… dead?" Sarah choked out. She was numb; nothing was real. "What happened?" she asked. She had to know.

Hoggle buried his face in his hands; his words muffled. "Jareth. He went mad and killed his wife and son… he yelled that they were going to take his throne. He nearly killed me too, but I fought back, then he disappeared. Be careful, Sarah, he might come after you!"

Sarah stood. "Maybe you should leave," she said emotionlessly, not looking at her friend, "I'll make sure he doesn't show up. I'll call you if he does."

Hoggle nodded and stepped back into the mirror. He paused, and spoke.

"Sarah, if you should need us…"

Sarah smiled, tears forming, "I'll call."

Hoggle nodded and hesitated. Thinking it through, he reached a gnarled hand out and touched Sarah's cheek. He then turned and disappeared into the mirror. Sarah touched her cheek in confusion, shrugged it off, and walked out of the bathroom in an attempt of normalcy… for the sake of someone else.

"Emmeline!" Sarah called, standing at the foot of the stairs, "Emmy!"

"Yeah, Mom?" a voice called back.

"Dinner. Quick, wash your hands!"

"'Kay,"

Sarah turned around, facing the dark wood door. A sigh escaped her. Memories swirled around in her brain from the departure at this very door… the look in Jareth's eyes when he left her. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes and fell down her cheeks. She started to walk back to the kitchen when a violent pounding ensued.

"Sarah! Sarah!" a hoarse voice cried out during the pauses.

Sarah started and ran to the door, fumbling with the locks, and wrenched open the door. Standing at her doorstep was a very dirty, beat-up man. His lip was split open and bleeding down his chin, numerous bruises on his pale skin, a large slice above the eyebrow of a very familiar blue eye paired with a brown one...

"Jareth?" Sarah gasped. She hardly recognized him. "What happened to you? Were you mugged? What are you doing here?" without stopping her questions, she yanked him inside and shut the door. She led him into the living room and sat him down on the couch. Emmeline ran in.

"Mom, who was banging on the door—? Oh, my..." she trailed off, her hands to her mouth in horror. Without another word, she fled from the room and came back a few minutes later with a first aid kit.

As Emmeline and Sarah tended to his injuries, Jareth could think of nothing but the sound of his wife's scream. His eyes shut and he started to twist away from the women, crying out in anger and grief.

"Jareth! Calm, calm down! I can't help you if—" Sarah put both her hands on his shoulders, trying to still the restless King.

"No! no don't help me! Help her! Help him! No! No! too young… too young!" he cried. He had stood up quickly and had grasped Sarah's upper arms tightly, painfully; his eyes insane, spittle foaming at his mouth as he glanced everywhere… every shadow…

"Jareth?" Sarah asked, her face filling with fear. "What happened?" his grip slackened.

"He killed her! He killed her! And I trusted him! He killed her, took my son hostage, and kicked me off the throne! She's dead! Damn that son of a bitch! Damn him for killing my wife!" his loss of energy disappeared as the anger and panic filled him again, his grasp tighter on Sarah as she fought to keep from wincing.

Sarah's eyes went wide. "But… I thought you…?" she choked.

Jareth kept on yelling as if Sarah hadn't said a word. "Yes, Isadora's dead! And Emory is probably in an Oubliette! Not Emory... He had her eyes..." he broke down, letting go of Sarah, crumpling on the ground.

Emmeline just stood there, uncertain of the situation, uncertain if she should stay or go.

"Emmy," Sarah said sharply, "Go to your room and stay there until I call you."

Emmeline started at the sharp cruelty in her mother's tone, but did as she was told.

"Go practice your piano, you have a show tomorrow!" Sarah called. Then she focused her attention on her fallen lover.

"Jareth," she said softly, guiding him into the loveseat. "Tell me what happened, and how you are alive."

She sat back after a while and wiped her eyes, waiting for him to thaw. It was then Jareth told Sarah the story of Hoggle's fatal betrayal. His tears dried and his posture radiated fury and the promise of revenge.

"Then he told me that he was going to send me back to 'the whore's house' and told my story of the affair... Right in front of my son..." Shame coloured his eyes and darkened his features. "I woke here, on a street. I had... Aged..." he looked at his hands, horror coming back, "It's almost as if I was transformed back into a human..." he shuddered and closed his eyes, placing his hands back on his lap.

The pair sat in silence, when soft music cut through Jareth's dark thoughts.

"It's only forever

Not long at all

Lost and lonely...

No one can blame you

For walking away

But too much rejection

No love injection

Life can be easy

It's not always swell

Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl

'Cause it hurts like hell

But down, in the Underground

You'll find someone true

Down, in the underground

A land serene, a crystal moon.

Ah...

It's only forever

Not long at all

Lost and lonely

That's Underground

Underground..."

Jareth was frozen. The hands on the piano played swiftly, expertly, as if the person had been doing it as long as Jareth had.

"I know that song…" he breathed softly, but another wave of memories washed away all thought of anything but his son and wife.

Ten minutes later, they were sitting at the dining room table, sipping tea. Sarah was looking murderously at the ground, recovering from Jareth's surprising appearance, for she hadn't gotten to say exactly what she thought of Jareth showing up out of nowhere years after leaving her to be with another woman.

"I only left you because I made a vow to Isadora, my wife! Trust me, I didn't want to leave you, but I had to. I was trying to turn my life around, to be a good father to Emory and a good husband to Isadora. Then that little _wart_ Hoggle led all of the goblins in a rebellion and sent me here. They took my crystals, my magic and my crown and sent me _here_!" he slammed his fist on the table for emphasis.

Emmeline jumped, and Sarah just looked at him. Emmeline scooted next to her mother and asked, "Is he on medication?" Sarah shook her head. "Emmeline, sit down where you were and let me explain to you how I met Jareth." When Emmeline returned to her seat, Sarah started from the beginning, when she accidently asked the goblins to take away her little brother, to meeting Jareth for the first time, to befriending Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus, telling about her adventure through the Labyrinth, receiving her brother, and hesitantly explaining how she got back home, repeating what Jareth said to her.

"He said, 'Fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave,'" Sarah looked embarrassed by that part. "I told him he had no power over me, then he turned into an owl and I was home."

Jareth wasn't looking at her; he was staring at the floor with a pained expression.


	11. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

"Seriously? That is so cool!" Emmeline hollered, practically jumping up in her seat from excitement, interrupting Jareth's train of thoughtful wandering. "Why didn't you tell me?" Emmeline asked Sarah, simmering down. Her mother smiled sadly at her. "We'll talk about it later. How about you sleep with me tonight? Get the bed set up with your dolls. Jareth let me lead you to your room." She stood up, not looking at Jareth. As Sarah was getting up, Emmeline said, "Nah, that's okay. I'll sleep in my room tonight." Sarah nodded at her daughter in acknowledgement.

Sarah walked up the stairs and down the hallway to a door. "Here you are," she said, avoiding his gaze. Jareth looked at her with his mismatched eyes. "Sarah—," he tried to say, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"I have some things to say to you first Jareth." She whispered angrily, looking at him for the first time all night. "What are you doing here? At _my_ house? Why did you come to me? You were -_are_- a spoiled jerk who gets whatever you want by bullying creatures for fun or just for something to do. You deserved this. I didn't like Hoggle, but I respect him and even congratulate him for doing what he did. You needed a reality check, to have your big ego deflated. I'm sorry Isadora's dead, but I cannot let you stay. I just have too many things against you. You abandoned me, now it's my turn. You better be out of here at eight am, or else."

Before Jareth could say a word, she turned on her heel, went downstairs and slammed the door to her bedroom shut, cutting him off from her glowing presence, probably forever. Standing in front of the door, hands hanging uselessly beside him, Jareth went inside his room. Just as he sat down on the bed, a faint and timid rap sounded on the door. Fearing that it was Sarah coming to pour more lemon juice on his paper cuts, Jareth went and opened it cautiously. Standing there was Emmeline, Sarah's daughter. At sixteen, she looked nothing like Sarah. Her hair was long and blonde, with blue streaks and silver tinsel decorating it. She was tall and thin, her clasped fingers as elegant as those of a musician. The strangest thing about her though were her eyes. They were two different colors: brownish green on one and bluish green on the other. "Do, um, May I come in? I need to ask you something."

Bewildered, Jareth let her in. "Yes?" he asked.

Emmeline closed the door, took a deep breath, turned, and looked at him softly. "Do you want me to help get you your crown back and clear your name so you can go home?" Emmeline asked hesitantly. Her strange eyes probed his with curiosity.

Jareth smiled at her.

"I would like that very much." He said softly with a smile. The pair leaned in and Emmeline whispered her plan in his ear. They shook hands, and Emmeline left the room. There was no backing out now.

In the morning, Jareth woke to the sound of shouting. Smiling he rolled over on his back, knowing Emmeline had carried out their plan. He sat up on the bed and pulled on his black coat that was lying on the floor. He stood up, went downstairs into Emmeline's room silently, and waited for the signal.

In the kitchen, unaware that Jareth was awake; Sarah was having a screaming match with her daughter.

"Under no circumstances will Jareth be allowed to stay! That's final!"

"I can't believe you!" Emmeline screamed back at her. "He's a man who needs our help, and because of a thing that happened _years ago_ you're going to cast him off into the streets? It's February for God's sake! He'll freeze to death out there!"

"Then he shouldn't have come here!"

"Are you actually going to toss him out onto the streets? Is this all supposed to be his fault? He didn't come here on purpose! Are you just trying to find a good reason to kick him out and make him suffer for a dumb fight?"

"Of course not! Stop acting like a child!"

"Child? For your information, _mother_—" Emmeline said snidely, "I am only five years younger than you when you had me! I am just trying to help someone in need, while you are being a bee with an itch because of something that happened years ago! If someone needs to grow up and stop acting like a child, it's you!"

Emmeline ran down the end of the hall into her room where Jareth was waiting and slammed the door. Sarah ran after her daughter, going to calm her down. Sarah grabbed a hold of the doorknob, but it wouldn't turn.

"Emmeline!" Sarah hollered, enraged. "Open the door!"

"I hate you!" Emmeline screamed. "I wish—"

Fear gripped Sarah in an iron vise. The words were so familiar… "No! Emmeline!"

"I wish the goblins would come take me away from you! _Right now_!"

The lights went out all over the halfway house. Blind panic now consumed Sarah, for Emmeline had become silent. "No! Emmeline!"

Possessed with a strength she did not know she had, Sarah threw her shoulder against the door, opening it forcefully.

Panicking, her eyes wheeled the room, searching for any sign of Emmeline. She was gone and the window was open. A cold breeze came in and hit Sarah full in the face, finalizing that her daughter was gone.

There was suddenly a blinding flash of light in front of the window and Sarah threw her arm to cover her eyes.

When the brightness had died down, Sarah removed her arm and saw Hoggle standing right in front of her. Their eyes met, and Hoggle's expression changed from authority to bewilderment. "Sarah? What—?"

"Hoggle! Oh thank God, I need your help!" Tears were gathering in the corner of Sarah's eyes, hysteria gripping a firm hold on her.

"Sarah," Hoggle said softly "I'm afraid I can't help you."

Sarah started to sob. "Hoggle, you don't understand! My daughter is gone! She was taken to the center of the Labyrinth by the King!" Suddenly, a thought struck her. Her face smoothed out and was replaced from sadness to blankness. The tears that had gathered in her eyes vanished without a trace.

"Hoggle…" she said softly. Her blank expression was suddenly replaced with betrayal and anger. "You sent my daughter to the center! Give her back to me!" Sarah stood up and walked menacingly toward Hoggle as she spoke. Hoggle held up his hands.

"Whoa there! Sarah! Calm down. Let me explain something to you."

Sarah stopped her advance and let Hoggle pull her to the bed. They both sat down. Sarah's hands were balled into fists, her nails digging into her palms as she fought against the wave of hysteria that threatened to grip her again.

"Sarah, first off, Emmeline was not sent to the center of the Labyrinth. Jareth and Emmeline were sent to the entrance. See, when Jareth was removed, he can no longer appear immediately into the castle.

"Jareth and anyone he's with have to solve the Labyrinth to have any hope of earning courage and humanity to get his throne back. I can't take you to the center, but I can put you at the beginning to go after them.

"I can't help you at all, those are the rules made by thousands of Kings before us, but I can change the Labyrinth's twists and turns to slow them down so you can catch up."

"Jareth? Wait, what does Jareth have to do with this?"

Hoggle looked at her with eyes full of pity. "Sarah, your fight with Emmeline was staged. They planned this so Emmeline could help Jareth become King again. "

"What?!"

"I'm afraid so."

"Do I have a high chance of getting my daughter back?"

"With me helping you? Of course." Hoggle smiled at Sarah, and it reassured her.

"How can I trust you?" Sarah asked, "You betrayed me by telling Isadora of our affair…"

Hoggle shook his head, amused. "Sarah, we have a common enemy. I have no reason to harm your daughter, and we have been friends for years, hm?" he smiled and held out a hand. "Do we have a deal?"

"What deal?"

"I put you in the Labyrinth to rescue your daughter, I help slow them down, then we can have revenge on Jareth."

Sarah hesitated, then shook his hand.


	12. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

The entrance to the Labyrinth was overgrown with kudzu and fallen branches. The doors were hanging of their rusted hinges. The place looked unkempt and ghastly. "What happened?" Emmeline asked, motioning to the crumbling Labyrinth. Jareth looked embarrassed. "You said the Labyrinth was a beauty." Emmeline said accusingly.

"It was," Jareth replied, running a hand through his hair. "Things… fell apart… after Sarah left." He turned a slight shade of pink.

"Well, we aren't going to solve the Labyrinth standing here. We'd better get a move on." Emmeline started walking towards the broken wooden doors, stumbling over weeds that threatened her ankles. Jareth followed closely behind her.

The inside of the Labyrinth was no better than the outside. Branches and weeds were rotting or growing through the walls or on the ground. A fair amount of glitter coated every inch of the piles of wood.

"Yeesh, does a wood cutter live here? Or are you just conserving for winter?" Emmeline asked as she tripped over yet another fallen branch. Jareth smiled but did not answer. Out of the blue, a high- pitched voice called, "Hey you! Wha' are you doin' here?" Jareth turned and looked straight at the Labyrinth wall, close to the ground. When Emmeline looked, she was shocked to see a small, blue worm. Jareth just stared at it. "I'm here to regain my throne," Jareth answered finally. The worm blanched. "Oh my," was its reply. Immediately, it scurried off and disappeared in a small hole in the wall.

"What was that all about?" Emmeline asked.

Jareth looked dark. "One of Hoggle's messengers."

Emmeline was silent. Then, with no warning what so ever, Emmeline blurted, "How did you become King? Why, if you live here, why did you go to New York, of all places?"

Jareth looked at Emmeline, and saw that she was only curious, and a little embarrassed.

"Sorry," Emmeline said, appalled, "I just thought that, if we are going to be walking through a Labyrinth with thirteen hours, we might as well talk about something. Besides, I hardly know you and I'm saving the reputation of a person whom I'm not sure if his reputation is worth saving."

Jareth smiled. "Nah, that's okay." He cleared his throat. "Ah, let's see, five hundred years or so ago I was a normal human, like yourself and living somewhere… can't remember where. Anyways, I was a singer, and I was not very popular. You see, where I lived, art was practically nonexistent and many snubbed it or called it witchcraft. Well, I had gone to many homes and places in search of work and stumbled upon a, uh, portal if you will. I was curious, so I went through and found this realm. It was magnificent. A gorgeous, solid stone Labyrinth, goblin servants, and a imperial Goblin King. Now, after I befriended the King, he became my music mentor.

"Not long after we became friends, I'd stop by the Labyrinth and chat with him while he explained to me what it was like ruling over goblins while I told stories from my younger days.

One day in January, I had gone back to the portal as usual, only to find it sealed. Confused, I patted the ground for any sign of an opening. That's when I first officially met Hoggle. He lead me back to my shack, although I had no idea how he knew the way. When we were all comfortably settled at my home, he explained to me that their King had died."

He said it casually, but Emmeline could see the grief behind his eyes. Emmeline patted his arm as Jareth continued his story.

"Hoggle explained to me that the King, on his deathbed, specifically instructed that I was to be the next leader of the goblin race. I agreed, and Hoggle taught me the things that I would need to know to become a decent King.

"It took two long months before Hoggle proclaimed that I was ready. I ditched my old life and became the man of my dreams: a ruler of music and mischief. I was the King for years, treating those sniveling beasts just as my friend had treated them before me. 'Those goblins are nothing but servants,' he'd say, 'they don't deserve pity, or they'll backstab you.' Then, one day, Sarah came along." Jareth's face softened and an inner glow seemed to emanate from his skin.

"She was beautiful, I remember. Her hair dark and shiny her eyes like two emeralds…" he sighed wistfully. Emmeline resisted the urge to mime barfing. She waited a little impatiently for Jareth to continue.

"The only problem with your mother at the time was that she was young, immature, a child. She was sixteen, but she behaved as if she were younger. When she wished her brother away, it gave me a wonderful chance to connect with her and mature her, perhaps make her love me enough to stay. Now, I hadn't been around people for three hundred years, so I didn't really know how to capture her attention. So, I did my best—," He stopped in mid-sentence and wrinkled up his nose. His face hardened and he gazed on something behind Emmeline. She turned around to see what Jareth was looking at and found herself staring at the ugliest thing she had ever seen in her life. She started, and then scooted closer to Jareth.

"What… is that?" Emmeline asked Jareth, a bit appalled.

"Hoggle. I think he's a goblin, but I thought I remembered pulling that thing out of the toilet."

Hoggle sneered. "Worm." He snarled rudely in the direction of Jareth. His gaze switched to Emmeline. "And what are you? Are you something Jareth scraped off the bottom of his shoe?" Hoggle looked back at Jareth. "Is she a new daughter to make up for the one you abandoned?" He cackled rudely. Jareth flushed a deep red and flinched violently as if Hoggle had slapped him.

Emmeline felt confused, but put on a convincing mask of attitude. "So, you're Hoggle," Emmeline said, hands on her hips. She cocked her head and pretended to simper. "Weren't you a friend of my mother's? I'm Emmeline, Sarah's daughter. Apparently, picking good friends is another thing my mother lacks." Her voice grew colder until it was frosty enough to freeze over the Labyrinth. Jareth patted her shoulder.

Hoggle, realizing who this girl was, put on an feeble front of concern and warmth. "Emmeline!" he said, choosing to ignore her last comment, "There you are! Your mother and I were so worried." Hoggle reached for Emmeline but she slapped him away.

"Yeah right," Emmeline sneered. "I'm sure your heart _bleeds_ for me. Don't even touch me. I want to keep that smell out of my clothes. Now, go away, leave us alone." On that note, Emmeline swatted Hoggle out of the way and continued down the path he was blocking. Jareth followed her, throwing a very smug face at an infuriated Hoggle.


	13. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Hoggle murmured softly to Sarah, who was steadily pacing in a circle.

"No, it's all my fault." Sarah punched the wall angrily, yelling, "Stupid, stupid, _stupid!"_ She then sank down the wall and crumpled disconsolately, cradling her now-bleeding hand.

Hoggle gave her a moment, and then patted her shoulder. "It's not your fault. You were frustrated, the fight was planned. Jareth and Emmeline were hoping that you'd wish them away. You just played into their hands, and you are paying the price. With Emmeline at Jareth's side, he can easily manipulate Emmeline's naïve mind. C'mon, we still have enough time to stop them before they get to the first challenge."

Sarah wiped her face with her sleeve and got up. "You're right, Hoggle." She gave him a watery smile. "What would I do without you?" she hugged him, straightened up, and muttered, "Let's go get that… _snake_… for messing with my daughter." Hoggle nodded and seemed to melt into thin air, reminding Sarah, a bit uncannily, of Jareth disappearing when he told her how much time she had.

'_You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth or your baby brother becomes one of us… forever…'_

Soon, Jareth and Emmeline were fighting through overgrown hedge paths. They hit more dead ends than they thought possible. As they fought through the thicket, branches and thorns whipped at their faces and exposed skin, making shallow slices that itched and stung as if there was a swarm of wasps stinging them with each slash.

Refusing even a small whimper, Emmeline beat through the treacherous branches without a single complaint or noise of pain passing her lips. She knew that this journey was not about her, but about Jareth. She needed to help him. She'd felt a… connection with him as soon as she saw him. Not a lover's connection, but a familiar, father-daughter connection.

After fifteen minutes or so of running through endless amounts of brambles, Jareth and Emmeline sat down to catch their breath.

"How… much time… do we… have left?" Emmeline gasped, clutching a stitch at her side.

"Twelve hours," Jareth panted back, "I think."

"What happens… if we don't… make it… in time?"

"We will be banished… even if your finger is one millionth of a centimeter away from the thing you have come to retrieve, or in my case, the walls of the castle. Anything you came to the Labyrinth to receive, retrieve, or redeem vanishes forever and you will not ever see it again. For example, when your mother wished away your uncle, she had thirteen hours to get her brother and go home. If she didn't get to him on time, Toby would've been mine forever and Sarah would never have seen him again."

"That's so… mean." Emmeline said lamely.

"I didn't make the rules. They've been that way since anyone can remember." Jareth stood up and offered a helping hand to Emmeline, which she took gratefully. Instead of running, the pair walked, making the thorns less unforgiving. Bored, Emmeline began to quietly sing a song her mother sang to her when Emmeline was a little girl.

"But I'll be there for you… as the world falls down…." Emmeline sang softly.

Jareth stopped dead in his tracks. "Where did you hear that?" his face was completely bloodless and his voice was raspy.

Emmeline was startled by his abrupt mood change. "It was something my mother used to sing to me when I was little. Do you know it?"

Jareth began walking again, the shock wearing off. "Yes," He said sharply.

Emmeline got the hint and switched tactics, humming _Thriller_ while she walked to pass the time.

While Emmeline was elapsed in her modern music, Jareth's head was whirling. _Sarah remembered all of this and passed it onto Emmeline? It's so strange. I thought Sarah hated me, but it looks like I was wrong. _Jareth glanced at Emmeline. _She looks nothing like Sarah, but looks almost exactly like me…_


	14. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

An hour later, Jareth and Emmeline came to the same clearing where Sarah had rescued Ludo from Jareth's guards all those years ago. Even the rope used to suspend Ludo upside down was lying on the ground, rotting away.

"Wow," Emmeline commented loudly, "Hoggle has really let the place go since he became King."

Jareth opened his mouth to answer when he was interrupted by a familiar yet unwelcome cackle.

"Actually, this is all Jareth's handiwork," Hoggle laughed cruelly.

Emmeline and Jareth turned at the sound of his cackle and glared at Hoggle, who was perched upon one of the overgrown hedge walls, checking his nails like every narcissistic, power-hungry moron. "I've only been King for three days or so. Jareth was the one who left it to crumble when Sarah rejected him. The only thing that has changed since then was the order of events in which Sarah had partaken in her journey." Hoggle snorted. Emmeline could not believe that this was the goblin her mother had befriended.

"My mother only surrounds herself with good friends, so it boggles my mind that she would be your friend, of all people! How do the other goblins stand you?" Emmeline spat the words at Hoggle as if they would cause him unendurable pain.

Hoggle only smiled coldly. "My dear girl. The goblins stand me because I am their ruler, and the Goblin City would crumble without me. Oh, and your mother likes me because I am kind to her… and…" He flushed deeply, then looked at Jareth with undisguised loathing, but Emmeline could see in his eyes an unspoken grudge against Jareth.

Emmeline rolled her eyes at him then stomped down a foresty path, in the opposite direction of where Hoggle was reclining.

"C'mon Jareth! Or we'll be late!" Jareth hurried after her, not even bothering to glance at Hoggle. Fed up with both of them but especially Emmeline, Hoggle melted into the air.

"So, you were saying? About my mom?" Emmeline pried. The jungle they were going through was silent, and for Emmeline, it was too much to bear.

"Ah, yes, well, I had done my best to taunt her, to mess her up, to tempt her, so that she could stay with me longer. The only thing, I didn't take Sarah thirteen hours."

"What?" Emmeline asked, "But you said—,"

"I know," Jareth sighed, "But the Kings have the ability to move time around. In total, it took Sarah about twenty hours.

"When Sarah was here, I would watch her progress using my crystals and I would see her disgust towards me, those flames of hatred fanned by Hoggle. Deranged and terrified that Hoggle was switching alliances, I forced him to give Sarah the peach. When I spoke with Hoggle, I was petrified. I read minds, see, and Hoggle _fancied_ Sarah! More than that, he had fallen as hopelessly in love with her like I had. The only difference: she hated me. Then he gave her the peach, giving me a chance to connect with her.

"Sarah's phantasm was everything _I_ could've dreamt of. _I _was in it, not that ugly dwarf. She was dressed in a thick white ball gown with glitter and ruffles, like a queen." He fell silent, apparently basking in the memory. Emmeline resisted the urge to clear her throat.

Taking in the information she learned, Emmeline asked, "Has there ever been a Goblin Queen?"

Jareth nodded. "Yes, we are born just like humans, and we can be sterile as well. We are very similar, just the Fae have magical abilities and we live longer. I was a rare specimen; no one before me ever stumbled upon the kingdom. I mean, don't get me wrong. We only take the unwanted children and always gave the wisher a choice. Most deny the chance to get their child or sibling back and just accept the crystal."

"What kind of magic does the crystal posses?" Emmeline asked.

"It shows you your dreams." Jareth replied simply.

"What? That's it?" Emmeline was aghast. Mothers had given up their own flesh-and-blood to gaze into a crystal and see things that they themselves know doesn't exist. It was like trading a child for a television.

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that," Jareth defended, "When you gaze into the crystal for a certain period of time, the dream becomes reality." Jareth paused. "The forest is thinning out."

"That must mean that we are almost there!" Emmeline scanned above the trees for any sign of Jareth's castle. "There!" she exclaimed, pointing.

Jareth followed her gaze to the direction she was indicating. A large, black stone tower was standing proudly and portentously above the trees.

"That's not my—," Jareth started, but Emmeline had already sprinted for the clearing and was soon hidden by a thick grove of trees.

"Emmeline!" Jareth called. Suddenly, a girl's scream echoed around the trees followed by a bone-shattering roar.


	15. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

"_Emmeline!_" Jareth yelled, ice running through his veins. He ran off into the grove where Emmeline disappeared, and called her name. "Emmeline!"

"Jareth!" came the petrified scream above him. Jareth glanced up, responding to her voice, and was frozen with dread. Emmeline was being held hostage by an enormous coal black dragon. Along its back were dozens, if not hundreds, of dark bloodred spikes ranging from five feet to half an inch, each tip coloured a poisonous-looking blue. Its claws were webbed and had talons the height of half a door and as thick as a dictionary. Emmeline was struggling with one of the dragon's claws, scratching at it with her nails, but the dragon's noxious yellow eyes were completely focused on Jareth.

It leapt out of the tree, which was well over fifty feet high, and landed so hard on the ground that the tremors made Jareth lose his balance and fall to the ground. Jareth got up slowly, not wanting to startle the beast. His eyes quickly darted from the dragon's eyes to Emmeline, but as soon as Jareth lost eye contact, the dragon attacked. It bellowed a blood curdling roar, opened its mouth wide, and a pillar of black fire erupted in Jareth's direction. Jareth dove behind a tree to avoid the deadly flames. He heard the sound of sizzling bark and the repulsive smell of sulpher. Jareth darted out from behind the tree, his hand accidently brushing the hole lined with a smoking black liquid.

Instant agony. Jareth felt as if his hand was melting off his bone. He gripped his hand and bit down on his tongue to keep an agonized yell inside.

Jareth ignored the pain as best as he could and ran as far away from the deadly acid, nearly running into another tree; tripping over a silver stick delicately laid across a tree trunk. Jareth picked up the silver stick and realized that it wasn't a stick, but a sword!

Ignoring the burning pain in his hand, Jareth picked up the sword, and it slid as easily into his hand as if it were made for him. A small voice in the back of his mind whispered that the sword might be a trick of Hoggle's, but Jareth ignored the voice, brandishing the sword at the dragon. Jareth was more concerned about helping Emmeline than one of Hoggle's pranks.

"Put her _down!_" Jareth screamed angrily, his fury fed by seeing Emmeline so scared and helpless, no matter how hard she tried to put on a tough face. She had a small, bleeding scratch on her hairline, cut from the dragon's jump out of the tree. The dragon seemed to grin, its eyes sparkling with evil intelligence. It raised Emmeline up to eye level, then pitched her into a tree one hundred feet away. Emmeline hit the tree with a small shriek of pain and fell unconscious. He glasses were lying on the dirt a few feet away. The small scrape on her hairline was widened into a four inch gash across her whole forehead, which was steadily dripping a river of blood onto the mossy ground. With a triumphant roar, the dragon advanced.

Hoggle and Sarah were watching the battle through Hoggle's crystal, placed precariously on Hoggle's slim fingers. At the moment of Emmeline's first scream, Sarah slid away from the crystal and against the hard stone wall of the box behind her. Her face was lined with worry and fear.

"Sarah, come here," Hoggle said distractedly. He was still engrossed in the crystal, shock and terror apparent on his grotesque facial appearance, completely oblivious to Sarah's reaction.

Sarah unwillingly dragged herself back to face the crystal, hearing the urgency in Hoggle's voice. What she saw would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life: The Black Dragon. Sarah threw her hands up to her mouth to stifle a scream.

_This is what they're up against? And it's supposed to get worse? How will Emmeline and Jareth come out alive?_ Sarah shrieked in her mind. She felt like she was going to pass out. _No_, she told herself, _you have to stay strong. If you give up, how will Emmeline be able to make it out?_ Sarah forced herself to look in the crystal, and what she saw stopped her heart and heated up her face.

Jareth. Jareth fighting the dragon to save Emmeline, risking his life for her, his fluid grace as he expertly lunged at the dragon, his twinkling eyes, and bright smile. She saw everything about him in a way she hadn't felt since the day Jareth saved her from her husband.

Hoggle had been watching the battle with a smirk on his face, congratulating himself, but a small sigh pulled his attention to Sarah. What he saw in her face lacerated his heart and wiped the smirk off his face. She was smiling absently, twirling a lock of her dark hair with one finger, gazing into the crystal with so much warmth and adoration for that freak that it made Hoggle want to scream at her.

_Don't you understand what I feel for you, Sarah?_ He cried out in his mind. _How can you love him when he kidnapped your brother and now your daughter?! _ Livid and humiliated, Hoggle snatched the crystal back and stuffed it in his vest. Without saying a word or even glancing in Sarah's direction, Hoggle melted away, leaving Sarah sitting against a wall looking taken aback, hurt, and confused.

The beast charged at Jareth baring its foot long fangs. Getting down and rolling away from the lethal daggers, Jareth was desperately trying to check on Emmeline without getting himself killed.

The dragon finally got tired of the dodge-the-fire game Jareth was playing, so it lunged at him, making him swing the sword. While Jareth was immersed in the battle with the dragon, Emmeline had regained consciousness, but because she had lost so much blood and possibly had a concussion, Emmeline couldn't see anything but splotches of green, black, and brown. As she was fighting to see, a dark liquid streamed into her eyes and making that challenge tougher. She took a mud-caked hand and wiped her forehead, her wound stinging furiously as if she had landed face-first in a cactus patch.

When she removed her hand, she saw a whole lot of red. Knowing she couldn't just lie there and bleed to death, she hoisted herself up, using the tree she was thrown into for support. A large sweep of vertigo washed over her and her knees buckled, but she knew she and to get up and find a bandage to stop the bleeding or risk death. As soon as she stood up, though, her priorities changed. Emmeline heard the grunts and yells of pain from Jareth and the loud, angry roars of the dragon. Emmeline stooped back down to the ground and patted it around for a while in search of a rock, but all she felt at first was a wide although shallow puddle of copper-smelling red liquid.

Emmeline realized she couldn't lie there forever, so she pushed herself up on to her knees and, using the tree heavily for support, pulled herself shakily up onto her feet, her knees knocking together. She held a sharp rock she found so tightly in her fist that she felt it ripping a deep cut into her palm. She waited for a moment, and then threw her stone at the large black splotch. The rock rang angrily as it hit a tree and thunked to the ground, grabbing the monster's attention.

The dragon whipped its spiky head in Emmeline's direction, saw an easy target, and charged. Jareth recognized his chance, slid under the dragon, and sank the tip of his sword deep into the dragon's unprotected belly. The dragon froze and collapsed as Jareth scrambled out from under it.

Jareth pushed himself from out under the dragon and sighed heavily, putting a hand to his injured rib. He was bleeding from dozens of scratches across his face and body.

Emmeline sank to the ground, unable to hold herself up any longer. She held her head—away from the injury—and tried not to throw up or pass out.

"Emmeline!" Jareth ran straight for her, helping her up.

"I'm okay," she murmured softly, so her voice was almost silent. "Just have a headache. Can't have anything to do with me being thrown into a tree or anything." She chuckled softly, looking quite sick.

Concerned about her head wound, which was bleeding profusely, but relieved that she was still making jokes, Jareth sat her down gently onto the base of the tree for support.

Jareth and Emmeline glanced at the dead dragon cautiously.

"Is it… dead?" Emmeline asked, her grin vanishing and fear starting to colour her eyes.

Before Jareth could respond, the dragon corpse shimmered holographically and disappeared. Confused, Jareth and Emmeline looked around for the source, but they found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Look!" Emmeline gasped, pointing in the grass where the dragon was. A small crystal orb was resting in the grass with an image of the dragon shimmering mysteriously within its depths.

"This is one of mine," Jareth sighed, smiling slightly at the crystal as the image of the dragon melted away. He shrugged, stuffing the orb into his coat, where it magically folded flat to his chest like it used to. Jareth walked back to Emmeline.

"There a—," Jareth started, but was interrupted by Hoggle's voice.

"You have passed the first test. Hooray," Hoggle muttered sardonically, rolling his eyes as Jareth turned around and looked daggers at him. Emmeline merely stared vacantly at Hoggle.

"There will be three more tests to be able to prove yourself worthy of becoming Goblin King once more," Hoggle grunted unwillingly, like he was reading off a script he wasn't fond of.

"You have passed Strength, but you also have to pass Wit, Repentance, and Power, blah, blah, blah…" Hoggle muttered, rolling his eyes some more. Jareth was getting a headache just watching him.

"You have nine more hours. Break a leg. Literally. Or die, I'm not picky." Hoggle grinned his holier-than-thou grin and melted into the tree behind him.

"If he keeps on rolling his eyes as much as he does, they'll fall off his face." Emmeline grumbled.

Jareth ignored her teenage muttering about what she would do to Hoggle if she had a brick, Jareth continued on his train of thought as if Hoggle had never appeared.

"There are three more tests," he said, "if this one was Strength, which other creatures will we meet for the rest?"

Hoisting herself up, Emmeline grunted, "I'm not sure. The good thing is that this one might be the hardest because it was all about physical strength. The others will be easier, like wit, because you have to use one of the greatest muscles in the human body."

"The quadriceps? Triceps?" Jareth asked.

"No! The brain, dummy." Emmeline smiled. "Now I'm concerned that we'll fail."

"Why?"

"Because I have to do it with you!" Emmeline snickered.

Jareth laughed good-naturedly. "Yeah, you're probably right, but it can't be as bad as having to do it with you."


	16. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

"Wow, that was weird," Sarah said, still shocked at Hoggle. "What on Earth got into him?" A funny thought struck her, but she brushed it away. "Hoggle's just a friend. There's no way." She giggled to herself for a moment at the absurdness of the fleeting thought.

Sarah pulled herself up, stretching for a bit to wake her limbs up. The pins and needles struck mostly to her feet, but after a moment she was ready to go. She walked over to an open door leading to a jungle, hoping that she might catch Emmeline and Jareth as soon as possible.

Hoggle was in the throne room alone, hands over his ears and trying to gain control over himself. He wanted to scream, bite punch, and get all of his fury out on Jareth, the one who made Hoggle miserable for thirty years, who took away the only woman he ever loved. _Okay, there was this one time with a girl goblin, but that was a long time ago_. Hoggle thought to himself, forgetting his fury for a moment.

"Why, Sarah? Why would you do this to me, after everything I've done for you?" Hoggle screamed bitterly, pulling at his ears to prevent tears from spilling over. "No," Hoggle sobbed, "I can't go on like this. I have to get Sarah back on my side." A thought struck him. It was a brilliant plan, a magnificent plan, an intelligent plan. Hoggle's face spread into an evil grin.

"I've got to get Emmeline on my side…" He reached down, picked up a crystal, and called out powerfully, "Show me Emmeline's weakness."

Stopping by a stream they found in the seemingly endless jungle, Jareth cleaned and bandaged Emmeline's head wound.

"You think that we can find anything better than moss and vines for a bandage?" Emmeline asked jokingly, fingering her makeshift bandage.

Smiling, Jareth replied, "Afraid not."

They both got up and stretched their stiff limbs. "Well," Emmeline started, "As much as I love it here, and I do," She grinned at Jareth, "We can't stay. Better get a move on, beat those last hundred or so tasks, and kick Hog-head's butt. Let's just try not to get killed."

"I can't guarantee any casualties." Jareth said, eyes dark and humor gone. Emmeline didn't like his pessimistic outlook, but kept her mouth shut. She started to walk away from him, down the path ahead of her. When Jareth didn't follow, she turned her head and looked over her shoulder. He was still sitting by the creek, staring into the water head bowed.

"Well, come on!" Emmeline called, trying to lighten the mood. Jareth didn't move or answer. Just when Emmeline thought he was going to stay silent, he spoke.

"Go on ahead without me. I'll catch up. There's just—I need some time alone."

Emmeline nodded, and then walked away, giving Jareth space. As she walked away, she glanced over her shoulder periodically at him. At one point, she turned around to say something, but saw his shoulders shaking and knew that she had to leave him alone. There were just some walks you have to take by yourself. So she stopped glancing behind her, and walked on.

Half an hour later of solid jungle, Emmeline froze. The forest had ended and desert began, stopping at a single line a foot from Emmeline, as if there was an invisible wall separating the opposite habitats. One last time, Emmeline looked behind her, saw nothing, and then stepped over the line into the desert.

"Emmeline!" A familiar voice called out to her from the depths of the jungle. For a moment she thought it was Jareth, but no, the voice wasn't right. It sounded like—

"Aiden?" Emmeline called disbelievingly. Sure enough, a seventeen year old boy burst from the trees and into the jungle. His black hair was ruffled, his clothes torn and dirty. His beautiful ice blue eyes were searching Emmeline's face, and then landed on her bandage.

"My God," Emmeline's ex boyfriend whispered. He gently caressed Emmeline's bandage. "Who did this to you? I swear I'll kill him."

Emmeline was dumbstruck. "What—how—what—," Emmeline sputtered. "What are you doing here?"

Aiden looked at Emmeline, his eyes full of longing and sadness. "I- I came to get you back, Emmeline," He caressed her cheek. "I came by your house to apologize to you, and your mom told me everything. How you wished yourself away, and her conversation with hog, uh, Hoggle, and—,"

"Wait," Emmeline said, stepping back. "Why are you here? How did you even get here?"

Aiden ran a hand through is hair and sighed heavily. "When I went down to your house, your mom was hysterical and told me everything.. I freaked and wished myself away so that I could come after you. Then I met that dwarf guy and found out what was really going on. I can't let you die for some stupid guy, Emmeline."

Emmeline was stunned. "He isn't stupid. And I'm perfectly fine." She was so surprised and pleased by her ex's sudden appearance, she didn't question him further. She felt the ice around her heart melt.

"Are you, Emmeline?" Aiden replied, pointing to Emmeline's bandage. Her hand jumped to it.

"You don't know." Aiden said softly, dropping his hand and backing away from her.

"I don't know what, Aiden?"

He shook his head. "You don't know how he became King? What Jareth was like? What his life was like? Did he tell you that he abandoned his newborn daughter to be King? That he killed his family to stay in control? He's a horrible man, Emmeline, and I wish you could see that…" he paused. "You know his daughter."

Emmeline was confused. "No I don't."

Aiden shook his head, lowering his eyes. He sighed heavily, and then looked up at Emmeline with sad eyes.

"His daughter that he abandoned… is you, Emmeline."


	17. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

_Where did Emmeline go?_ Jareth screamed to himself. He was shoving prickly branches out of his way as he dashed madly through the jungle. _I am such an idiot!_ He chastised himself. _I never should've let Emmeline go running off alone, especially with Hoggle after her and the tasks waiting. What if she gets seriously hurt again and I'm not here to save her?_

With a newfound vigor, Jareth started hacking at the vines and branches, more desperately than before and bordering on the edge of madness. Abruptly, he stopped. Jareth had reached the line that divided the jungle behind him from the endless desert in front of him. Without another second's hesitation, Jareth jumped over the line and sprinted as soon as his shoes touched the sand. He set off after Emmeline before she met their second task and possibly get killed.

"What?" Emmeline blurted, disbelievingly flabbergasted. "How is that even remotely possible? I just turned sixteen and Jareth became Goblin King hundreds of years ago!"

Aiden smiled sadly and brushed a lock of Emmeline's hair back behind her ear, a familiar habit of his. Emmeline leaned her head against his hand instinctively.

"That's where Hoggle comes in. He kind of… achem," he cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Put a time pausing spell upon Jareth's entire town and made the humans that lived there just leave—,"

"But _why_?" Emmeline interrupted. "Why would Hoggle go through all that trouble? He _hates me,_ Aiden."

Aiden smiled again at her, amused. "You didn't let me finish. He did it just in case Jareth wanted to come back in case the whole King thing didn't work out. You know your own house, right? Your mother was searching for a home and that's where she found you."

"Are you saying that… my house… is where Jareth's old house was?"

Aiden nodded, and then wrapped a comforting arm around Emmeline's shoulders as she tried to process all of the information she heard. Aiden looked at her again, then said, "Tell you what. Here," he slipped a small black stone with an intricate Celtic knot carving on the center into her hand. "When you make your decision, hold the rock tightly in your fist, then call Jareth a traitor. Say that you accept Hoggle as your ruler and friend, and then call for me. We'll take you back. We'll take you home. It'll be just you and me… forever."

Emmeline squeezed the stone in her fist and murmured, "I will." Aiden put a hand under her chin, tilted her head up, and—

"Emmeline!" Jareth's voice broke through the shelter of the trees. Emmeline's eyes flew open. Aiden was gone, but the small, warm stone was still clutched in her palm. With another heartrending cry, Jareth burst from the jungle and made a beeline straight for Emmeline. He reached out to hug her, but she recoiled from him as if he was going to harm her. Her eyes were wide and anxious, her face bloodless. Jareth froze in his tracks.

"Are… are you okay, Emmeline?" Jareth asked hesitantly. Emmeline flinched, then regained her composure. She pulled a lock of hair from behind her ear and started playing with it, avoiding Jareth's gaze.

"Yes… I'm fine…" she turned abruptly and started forward briskly, as if trying to shake Jareth off. Confused, Jareth followed her in the direction of their next challenge, wondering what and happened to Emmeline when Jareth was lost in thought at the stream.


	18. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

At the castle in Jareth's old throne room, all of the goblins were watching Emmeline and Jareth's progress through the Labyrinth solemnly.

One goblin shook his head sadly. "Poor Emmeline…"

"Shut up!" another hissed, backhanding the goblin. We mustn't have Master Hoggle hearing you say such things. Are you mad? Do you want to see your grand-goblins?"

The goblin shook his head rapidly, eyes alight with terror. "No, Guam, you're right. I'll keep my head."

"Good idea, Guthrye," Guam grunted. "Although, I do agree with you. Hoggle has gone too far. Lying to a young girl…" Guam shook his head with disgust. "I'm glad that we left that sword for Jareth though. Those lies Master had said…"

"Maybe if Hoggle—," Guthrye started, then was cut off by the sound of Hoggle's shoes scuffing up the steps into the throne room. Sure enough, Hoggle limped in. Hoggle limped over to the nearest goblin towards him, grabbed him by the scruff of his smock–like Jareth used to–and snapped,

"How far are they?"

Guthrye replied immediately. "Almost to the second task, Your Highness."

"Oh, this is bad, this is very bad…" Hoggle dropped the lower-class goblin and started to chew his nails as Guthrye scurried away. "If Emmeline doesn't follow my plan and betray Jareth, he just might become King again. Do you want that?" Hoggle yelled, making the goblins start violently.

"Why is that bad…? Sire?" a goblin asked Hoggle cautiously.

"Because," Hoggle exploded, "With that Emmeline brat, spawn of Jareth himself, they will have enough of their insidious cunning, cruelty, and attitude to pass the tests. That oh-so-important air, that's definitely what Emmeline inherited! That no-good, rotten piece of goblin sh—,"

"Sire," the goblin interrupted, "I honestly don't see the big deal. It's obvious that Emmeline has doubts, and even if we fail and Jareth becomes King again, it's not so bad, right?"

The throne room fell silent, and with Hoggle staring thunderously at the outspoken goblin, he realized that he managed to say just the wrong thing.

"Better?" Hoggle asked softly, caressing the word. "Better?! _Better?! Is that what you just said? BETTER?_" Hoggle screeched piercingly. He limped over to the goblin, grabbed him by the ear, dragged him over to a crystal, pressed the crystal with a finger, and commanded, "To the Bog of Eternal Stench!"

"_Nooo!_" The goblin screamed, but it was too late. The goblin disappeared to meet his fate. Hoggle whirled around on his heel and faced the hoard of petrified goblins. He smiled threateningly.

"Any other… ideas?" He asked sweetly. All the goblins frantically shook their heads.

"Good," Hoggle growled. He turned on his heel and stomped out of the throne room, slamming the palace doors behind him.

Guthrye dared to look at Guam, and whispered squeakily, "I miss Jareth."

"Hey, look!" Jareth called, pointing to a monument ahead of them. Emmeline looked up to see what he was talking about, and saw a daunting stone sphinx.

"Ohmigod," Emmeline gasped, "It's beautiful!"

Jareth chuckled at her look of wonder.

"This must be a test for wit!" Emmeline gasped. She started to run towards the sphinx, but faltered ten feet from Jareth. Emmeline turned and glanced at him.

"I've got to stop running off if I want to live," she joked half-heartedly. She waited for Jareth to catch up before they set off once more.

"Well, I do need to scratch, 'get eaten by a large stone lion' from my to-do- list." He chuckled, pulled an imaginary pen and pad of paper from his coat pocket and mimed checking off a chore. He expected a groan from Emmeline, but she was silent.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, concerned. She didn't look at him.

"I'm fine," she muttered sharply. "Just anxious." She then hurried forward, as if trying to escape from Jareth. Confused, he picked up his pace, but said no more.


	19. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Soon they reached to great beast. She was motionless, but not made of stone as it had appeared from afar. Emmeline went up to the lion, arms outstretched, but snatched her hand back as if electrocuted.

She backed away from the creature rapidly, grabbing Jareth's sleeve in the process and pulling him with her.

"She's alive," Emmeline whispered, her voice palpable with terror. "She's breathing!"

Jareth and Emmeline stopped backing up when they were a safe distance from the slumbering lion- bird creature. It heard their whispering and lifted its giant head off its paws, revealing the face, not of a lion, but of a beautiful woman, eyes the color of the night sky speckled with stars.

"Who goes?" a loud and imposing voice echoed around their minds, the tenor that of a male versus a young woman. Emmeline clutched her head and sank to her knees as her dull headache mounted into agony. She tried to scream, but the only noise that escaped her throat was a raspy yell of pain.

Jareth ran to her side and tried to help her up, but she shoved him off.

"I'm fine," she gasped unconvincingly. Jareth helped her stand, and her headache subsided to a dull throbbing behind her eyes. She pushed Jareth off her and rubbed her temples.

"I will give you as many riddles as you have tasks. You have one chance to make a mistake, and you will have one minute to answer correctly. No more, no less. If you do not answer the riddles correctly after one try, or you run out of time, I attack to kill. If you somehow answer all of my riddles correctly, you will leave this desert unharmed and with another power, and I will destroy myself.

"Here is your first riddle:

It is greater than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it and if you eat it you'll die. What is it?"

Emmeline looked at the ground, terror and worry filling the lines in her forehead as she tried to break down the complicated riddle.

"Greater than God and more evil than the devil.." she muttered to herself.

Jareth was also having trouble. The Master at Magic, Riddles, and Mischief, has met his match.

"Thirty seconds," the sphinx said quietly, a smile in her voice.

Jareth puzzled, wishing he had paid more attention to human religious figures.

Emmeline was looking at the sand at her feet, struggling to solve it.

"Five seconds… Four… Three… two…"

"It's nothing!" Emmeline shrieked desperately.

"Correct," the sphinx replied, the victorious tone gone.

"Care to fill me in?" Jareth asked, turning towards her.

"An old Bible thing from church," she started, "The pastor was very adamant in making sure that we all understood that nothing and no one is greater than Our Lord God and nothing and no one is more evil than the devil."

"Here is your second riddle," called the sphinx, interrupting them. "What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?"

Emmeline's eyes widened, and she looked over to Jareth desperately, but his face was blank; expressionless.

His mind was whirling. _Runs but never walks? Murmurs, but never talks? Doesn't eat? What?_ Out of the blue, a song itched in his head, an old memory he hardly remembered from when he had first discovered the Labyrinth. He was running through the field before the stone walls, not paying attention to his feet when he plunged into a river that sucked him straight to the Castle, where he was found by the King.

'Hm, that doesn't look very comfortable.' The King observed, taking in Jareth's soaking frame.

'Not really,' he replied.

'Funny thing about rivers,' the King said while helping Jareth out, 'Is that, even when they are louder than these damned goblins, they still sound like they're whispering instead of talking.'

"Ten seconds," the sphinx's booming voice pulled Jareth back to reality.

"Um… a river?" he guessed.

"Correct," The sphinx's voice was harsh.

Emmeline looked at him and opened her mouth as if to say something, but the sphinx cut her off.

"Your third riddle," The sphinx intoned impatiently.

"I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball. What am I?"

"Oh shit," Emmeline gasped, looking at the sphinx cluelessly. "I thought this was supposed to get easier!"

The sphinx, fed up with Emmeline, speared her eyes with her gaze. Emmeline froze, caught in the creature's gaze. Out of nowhere, she screamed, startling Jareth and forcing him a few steps away from her in alarm. After what seemed like forever, Emmeline's agonized screams stopped and she collapsed on the ground in a dead faint.

Jareth ran to her side and held her limp form in his arms.

"Emmeline!" he yelled, terrified that she was dead. He put his ear on her chest and sighed with relief: her heart was still beating and she was breathing.

"Thirty seconds," The sphinx interrupted, smirking cruelly, "And I kill her first."

Jareth looked away from the sphinx and to Emmeline's serene one, struggling to think; regret and guilt washing through his heart as he thought of Sarah and Isadora, and where Emmeline might have come from.

_If only I could go back… that's it!_

"The present and the future," Jareth breathed, amazed.

The Sphinx gave an angry shriek of a snarl. Its ferocious eyes burned with fury.

"You have defeated me with your cleverness. I shall now destroy myself. Here is your reward." Lifting one giant paw, the sphinx rolled a small crystal orb to Jareth's feet, where it rested. She turned and then jumped from the cliff behind her. As soon as the sphinx jumped, Emmeline had regained consciousness.

"Wha'?" she mumbled, shielding her eyes from the sun with a sand-coated arm. "What happened?"

"We won, Emmeline! We won!" he hugged her, helped her up, and the two set off on their way.


	20. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

"Oh no, Master isn't going to like this," Guam muttered to a nearby goblin while staring out the enormous window in the throne room. The magical window showed the goblins Jareth and Emmeline's whereabouts, and the sphinx had just lost. Fortunately, the pair had come across a dangerous problem: they were stranded on a cliff, and their path continued on another cliff… across a gorge.

"How are we going to get across? We're on the top of a cliff!" Emmeline said desperately.

"I don't know," Jareth said, peering down the side of the cliff where the sphinx had jumped.

"Is there a bridge or something?" Emmeline came and stood next to Jareth, peering down the face of the cliff.

Her head swirled and she felt as if she were losing her balance; the gorge seeming to spin and the sharp rocks at the bottom getting farther away. She took a wobbly step back, tripping on her shoes. She panicked and grabbed Jareth's sleeve, Yanking them both onto the rough sand as she fell backwards.

Jareth landed with a small _oomph!_ next to her.

Suddenly, as if by magic, dozens of flat rocks from the lower ground rose up, creating a bridge across the gorge.

"Well, that was easy," Emmeline said, standing and brushing sand off her jeans. She put one foot carefully on a rock and moved her weight to it. The rock tipped dangerously in her direction, almost flipping over completely. Emmeline would've fallen with it, but Jareth, who had just hauled himself off the ground, threw out his hand and caught her just below the underarm. He pulled her back onto the cliff ledge.

"Thanks," Emmeline said breathlessly, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

"Don't mention it." Jareth studied these seemingly stable stones, just floating aimlessly in midair.

"How do we get across?" Emmeline asked uncertainly. She stared at the rock she placed her foot on, recalling how it flipped over on her and almost threw her to the sharp rocks below. She slowly backed away from the ledge.

Jareth looked over his shoulder at her, for she had crept behind him. To test the center of the bridge's durability, he picked a heavy rock up from the ground and threw it at the center of the bridge. Nothing happened.

"Let's press our luck and sprint across," Jareth said, looking at the stones.

"Cool with me," Emmeline said, her confidence coming back. "I was in track last year."

Jareth nodded as though he understood and motioned for Emmeline to follow his lead. He squatted down on the supple sand, positioning one foot under his shoulder and the other stretched out behind him; mimicking Emmeline's stance. They looked over to each other and Emmeline nodded slightly.

Like a cork from a champagne bottle, Jareth and Emmeline jumped and landed hard on the first rock, sprinting with all their might. The rocks behind them fell at an alarming speed down to the gorge.

"Run!" Emmeline screamed. She and Jareth picked up the pace slightly, running almost in unison.

As they were running, Emmeline lost her footing and slipped on the stone Jareth tossed on the bridge, crashing onto the rock arms first. The big rock started to sway dangerously and flipped over, with Emmeline still clinging on to it with her hands.

"Emmeline!" Jareth screamed with real terror, stopping his feet. He slid on the rock he was on and started to run back to her.

Her fearful eyes screamed for help.

As Jareth reached for her, Emmeline's fingers slipped off the rock and she plunged down the gorge, screaming the whole way down.


	21. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

Sarah was resting beside the trickling stream, her emerald eyes staring into the depths as if it would tell her all the secrets to this puzzle, this place.

_He who is King…_ the stream seemed to whisper.

Sarah launched off of the rock she was resting on and waded up to her knees, soaking her jeans. To her misfortune, the bottom of the stream was coated in moss, so she slipped and fell, completely submerged in the crystal water.

Underwater, she started to surface for air, but a whispering voice at her ear brought her to a halt.

_Sarah,_ the voice whispered, _we know your_ _darkest desires, your dreams. You thought you left them when he left you, but they still surround you, making you vulnerable to pain._

Sarah desired to hear more, but she needed to breathe. She surfaced, took a deep breath and dove back under.

_Open your eyes, Sarah, and see the truth._ The voice whispered. Sarah opened her eyes.

"Galina!" Gorade hollered. "Quick! We must help Emmeline!"

Galina hurled herself away from her post at the window and ran straight for a crystal. Emmeline was falling at a dangerous speed down the gorge. Without a word, Galina went straight to the large clock in the throne room and pushed the button in the center of the hands. Immediately, the clock stopped all time. Emmeline was frozen as well as the falling rocks. Galina immediately flashed into the scene, grabbed Emmeline roughly by her arms and placed her clinging to the rock that Jareth was standing on, his arm still outstretched to help her. Galina took Jareth's arm and clasped the hand on Emmeline's forearms firmly.

She disappeared back into the chamber and pushed the clock again. Immediately, time started going again.

All of the goblins stared at Galina, who thrust her chest out with pride but went back to the window.

All of the goblins hastily went back to their posts as Hoggle crashed through the door.


	22. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

"Emmeline! I've got you! Hang on!"

"I don't have much choice!" Emmeline cried, holding his arm while he held hers. Slowly, he pulled her up onto the rock which Jareth himself was standing on. He waited for the combined weight to send the rock tumbling down into the gorge. Nothing happened. Jareth and Emmeline looked at the ground, confused. With a shaky laugh, Emmeline realized that they were on the other ledge. They had crossed the bridge.

"I… don't think… that… I've ever been so scared in my life!" Emmeline exclaimed.

She started to cry. "You saved my life," Emmeline sobbed. "Thank you!" Jareth grabbed her shoulders and hugged her.

"No problem. Like I would've left you. But, you were holding onto the rock when you fell, so how did you end up on the edge of the cliff?"

Emmeline thought for a minute. Jareth's words really hit her in the face. "I don't know," she said slowly.

Emmeline looked at Jareth and he looked at her.

"Hoggle_,"_ they said in unison. Emmeline stood up and tilted her head to look at the sky. "Hoggle," She said, "Thank you so much for saving my life. I owe you now. I really appreciate what you did for me. I'm sorry I was such a… a teenager to you." She looked back to Jareth and shrugged at his amused expression.

"I didn't," came the hoarse voice from behind her. Emmeline whirled around and was face-to-face with her 'rescuer'. "I never saved you. I never will. Not you. I don't like you. Or you," Hoggle said nastily, looking at Jareth. Hoggle turned back to look a Emmeline's bewildered face. "So, run along, little rat, and try not to get yourself killed, because I'll have to answer to your mother of why her worthless, nosy daughter went splat." With the familiar melting into thin air trick, he disappeared.

Stricken by Hoggle's attitude, Emmeline sat down and covered her face with her arms and shivered.

"He called me a rat." Emmeline said, her voice muffled by her arms. "He said I was worthless,"

Jareth could hear her voice breaking. He sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Maybe we should have some time to rest."

"No," Emmeline got up and shrugged his arm up. She wiped her face with her sleeve. "I'm sick of his attitude, sick of his rudeness. I hate him and I want him off that damn throne!"

Jareth stepped back away from her slightly, for she looked truly ticked off. Her eyes glowed like neon signs. She looked at him and saw his alarmed expression.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I just… exploded."

"That's okay." Jareth said. "I couldn't have put it better myself." Emmeline smiled at him.

"Let's go beat our next task," Emmeline said, walking off to the path ahead of her. Jareth shrugged to himself and followed her. Suddenly, she froze.

"Wait a sec," Emmeline murmured, "If Hoggle didn't save me, who did?"


	23. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

The pair were walking through another half of the desert, Jareth trying to pull Emmeline into conversation, but she stayed in a stony silence. Every once and a while, she would stick her hand into her pocket and feel the carved Celtic ring on the warm rock.

"Is something wrong? You're acting oddly." Jareth spoke after a while. He looked sideways to her and she was staring off into space.

"No I'm not." Emmeline said defensively, trying to avoid conversation.

"Yes, you are," Jareth contradicted. "What is it?"

Emmeline couldn't take it anymore. "Because," she yelled out of nowhere, halting her steps, "You're a traitor!"

Jareth was shocked. He took a step back from Emmeline as if she was about to explode. "What are you _talking_ about, Emmeline?"

"You know!" she fumed, "You left me!" she pointed an accusing finger at him.

"No, you left me. I told you to go—,"

"Not at the stream in the jungle, in New York City, years ago!" Emmeline interrupted angrily.

"What?"

"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know, Jareth! You left me to become King! Why? And what happened to my _real_ mother? Did you abandon her too?" Tears gushed down her cheeks.

Jareth's eyes went wide. He stalked forward and grabbed her arms. "Who told you this?" he asked urgently.

"None of your business!" Emmeline yelled, gaining her momentum and ripping herself from his grasp. "I confided with you, I made you my friend, I told you that all I wanted was a father! I finally realize that such a wonderful man is my dad, but one small problem: he left me to die! Did you kill your son as well? And your wife?" she started hiccupping hysterically.

"Did Hoggle tell you this?" His face was completely bloodless and his eyes flashed with rage, trying to pretend that her last three words didn't kill him.

"Yes!" she stood proudly, throwing her hair back. "And I've decided…" she pulled the black rock out of her pocket, lifted it to the sky and screamed into the wind, "_Jareth is a traitor! I accept Hoggle as my ruler and friend! Aiden, take me home!"_

"No! Emmeline!" Jareth reached for her.

Emmeline laughed maniacally as sand formed a vortex around her form, making her hair fly all around her face.

"Emmeline!" Jareth cried, reaching for her. "_It's a lie! Hoggle tricked you!"_

Emmeline's eyes met Jareth's fleetingly, and then she was gone. The sand rested at Jareth's feet.

Jareth buried his face in his hands and sank to his knees in defeat.

"Hoggle!" Jareth screamed to the sky. Swiftly, the wind picked up ferociously, knocking Jareth on his back. The vortex that took Emmeline from him swirled down to reveal the short form of the Goblin King himself.

"Having fun, are we? How's your daughter?" Hoggle laughed maliciously.

"She's not my daughter!" Jareth snarled, then reached out an arm to strangle the creature that created this mayhem, who tortured Jareth over and over, who was responsible for brutally ripping Jareth to pieces. Jareth wanted revenge, to kill Hoggle for messing with Emmeline's head to make her believe that Jareth abandoned her for the sake of his own selfish needs, for turning his one true love against him, for killing his wife and imprisoning his son.

With a wordless bellow, Jareth charged.

"No, no Jareth. Manners," Hoggle laughed, sending a strong gale of wind at Jareth, knocking him down again.

"Hold him," Hoggle told the wind. He then leaned up close to Jareth's face as he struggled.

"Listen, worm," Hoggle growled. "You are all alone. Sarah, Emmeline, and the goblins are all on my side. Who have you got? No one. You lost your wife, your son, and now your daughter, and yes, she IS your child. Remember that week when you were unfaithful to Isadora and slept with Sarah? Yes, well, Emmeline is the product of that. She's nothing but the bastard child of a half-breed, dead-beat father.

"Any last words before you get picked off by your next challenge?"

Jareth spat in Hoggle's face. "Alright then," Hoggle snarled. "Die in the desert!" Without another word, Hoggle melted into the wind. The pressure on Jareth vanished. He got up shakily, and then screamed wordlessly into the wind, blaming himself for Emmeline's distrust and betrayal.


	24. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

Emmeline landed hard on the cold, rocky floor underneath her, smacking her head in the process. Stars exploded behind her eyes, knocking the breath out of her.

"Ouch," Emmeline coughed, holding her head as she surveyed her surroundings. It was pitch black, and all she heard was the banging of her own heart. Out of nowhere, a scuffling sound came from a corner in the room.

"Hello?" Emmeline called hesitantly, "Aiden?"

Suddenly, a candle in the center of the room lit up, blinding Emmeline for a moment. When her eyes adjusted, she saw… nothing. She was alone in the little room. It was cold, dusty, and rocky. The air smelled musty, like a cellar. The room was cylinder-like in shape, with a low ceiling with a small, barred trapdoor in the center.

"Where am I?" Emmeline asked herself. "I was supposed to be home."

She heard footsteps. A small chunk of wall swung outwards, and Aiden walked in.

"Aiden!" Emmeline cried, running to him. She threw her arms around him. "Where am I? Why am I here? Why aren't I home? Why—," it dawned on her that Aiden wasn't embracing her, he just stood there stiffly.

She opened her eyes and backed away from him, letting go slowly. "You tricked me," she whispered, searching his eyes.

"You… tried to get me to ditch Jareth… why?" Emmeline beseeched.

Aiden was silent for a moment, then he said in a deep, gravelly voice that did not belong to him, "To make Jareth pay for what he did to me. To Sarah."

As Emmeline watched in horror, Aiden's Clark Kent-like appearance melted like candle wax, revealing a very dumpy, very revolting Goblin King.

"H-Hoggle?" Emmeline asked disbelievingly. "What—,"

"You are in the Oubliette, Emmeline," Hoggle growled, limping over to the candle.

"But why?"

Hoggle rounded on her. "Why? Why? Why? Why? Do you know how to say anything else? Because I _felt_ like it. Does that quench your thirst for knowledge, you unpleasant child? Maybe I did it because I wanted to. Maybe I don't have a reason. Ever thought of that?" Hoggle took a deep breath and stepped away from Emmeline. He smiled in a way he obviously thought was comforting, but instead it felt to Emmeline like the wolf looking at Red Riding Hood.

She sat down and scooted away from Hoggle as far as possible, until her back was smushed against the cold wall. Hoggle leered at her, and then steadily stepped closer to her, relishing his moment of power.

"Listen, _darling_ little Emmeline, I'm the one in charge here. You will be seen and not heard. You will stay down here forever until the day you die. Sarah will be told a tragic tale about how her lover killed his own bastard daughter, and Sarah will hate Jareth forever, and I will murder him before all of the Fae and take control of The Underground with Sarah at my side."

"You and my mother..?" Emmeline started to laugh hysterically, part from panic, part from amusement.

"You ill-bred imbecile!" Hoggle screeched, slapping her across the face and ripping a long cut in her cheek from his nails. He then gripped her jaw and turned her face to his.

"There is no way you can escape," Hoggle said to her as if reading her thoughts. His black eyes bored into Emmeline's, giving her the unpleasant feeling that he was staring into her soul. She tore her chin from him and looked at the floor, nodding as if defeated.

Hoggle backed up from Emmeline triumphantly, believing her crushed beneath his will. He turned on his heel and vanished as the candle light was quenched, leaving Emmeline in the astringent darkness.


	25. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Sarah reached out in the river for the fantastic scene unfolding before her. She saw Jareth's pain through the years after she disappeared, the death in his eyes. She watched him marry Isadora and have their fist child. She saw his desire for her when he saved her, the desire, hatred, and pain growing each passing day, the way he would linger longer and longer at her bedroom door as time grew. She saw the look in his eyes when he had to leave her. She saw the truth of Hoggle, the seed of Darkness being sewn into his heart by jealousy, his hatred towards Jareth and Sarah after he caught them in bed together.

Sarah surfaced, gasping for air like a fish, trying to make sense of what she saw.

"Oh no, Emmeline!" she cried out, fearing for what could become of her. She got up from the muddy banks of the stream and took off running.

Sarah was fighting through the trees and weeds of the jungle, distinctly remembering her fear when she realized Ludo had disappeared. "Ludo, where are you?" Sarah asked to herself, recalling that statement she had uttered herself so long ago. If she closed her eyes, it would feel as if she was here searching for her brother again.

_But it's not my brother I'm saving this time, _Sarah thought, _It's my daughter._

Sarah pondered what was ahead of her, what lies ahead. She strained to remember her suppressed recollections. They came back easily and vividly, full of texture and colour. A bit surprised, she shook her head, then remembered that this was the exact same area where she was ambushed by the Fireys.

_If I remember correctly_, she thought, _there's a wall up here somewhere, hopefully with the rope Hoggle used to help me_. She ran ahead and found the imposing stone wall with a small rope hanging off the top. Sarah grabbed the frail rope and began to hoist herself up.

"Do you have enough upper arm strength to even try?" A sneering voice called down to her from the top of the stone wall.

"Hoggle!" Sarah called, trying to look happy to see her former friend. Recalling his comment, she looked at her small biceps and laughed frivolously. "You're probably right. The most I can do is hold on. A little help?" she requested teasingly.

One corner of Hoggle's mouth turned up, and then he yanked sadistically on the rope, sending Sarah shooting up in the air but landing gently by his side.

"Whoa," Sarah gasped breathlessly, adrenaline rushing through her veins. Hoggle brushed his hands together as the deplorable rope crumbled to fragments in his spider-like fingers.

"Hoggle?" Sarah asked quietly, immediately making Hoggle's internal alarms go nuts, "Why… did you leave so suddenly? Earlier when we were watching Jareth's first task?"

Hoggle's face flushed and his blood froze. He broke out in a sweat and his hands shook. "I… I got a message… the goblins needed me for something…" he stammered. He always had been a horrible liar, and he prayed that Sarah wouldn't notice.

Sarah gave him a look which told him that she wasn't convinced, but dropped the matter. She was silent as they just sat there for a moment. Hoggle was staring at his feet as Sarah studied him. After a moment, she got up from the wall.

"I must go and try to find Emmeline."

Hoggle grabbed her hand. "No, Sarah. You can't." He looked down sadly, his shoulders sagged as if holding unendurable weight. "Jareth… had one of his rages. He killed her."

Emmeline was still in the Oubliette, sitting in the middle of the floor, doing absolutely nothing. Her eyes were closed, and she was sitting cross-legged in the middle on the floor in a typical meditative pose. Inexplicably, a small opening in the wall towards the right exploded through the rock. Jareth walked in through the opening.

"Hey, Emmeline," Jareth said urgently, holding out a helping hand. "We must go immediately before Hoggle gets whiff of our ruse."

Emmeline opened her eyes and used Jareth's outstretched arm to help herself up. Jareth tried to catch her eye as they fled the Oubliette, but she kept her eyes glued on the path in front of them. The pair ran through the stone tunnel in front of them until they came to a punched-out wall to the right of them. Inside, there was a rotting wooden ladder which the two climbed up silently.

After a moment of climbing, Emmeline broke the silence.

"Is all of that true? Are you really my father?"

Jareth sighed. "Yes,"

Emmeline was silent a moment. "Did you really ditch me to become Goblin King like Aiden— I mean Hoggle— told me?"

"No! I would never. You were conceived by… mistake. I had an affair with your mother and that produced you." Jareth said.

Emmeline was silent, until her head hit a hard, terracotta lid.

"Ow," Emmeline moaned, rubbing her head. She pushed up the lid and found herself in a big pot surrounded by hedges. She climbed out and was astonished once again by how unkempt the Labyrinth is.

Jareth climbed out after her and carefully replaced the lid. Jareth glanced over to Emmeline and saw her craning her head to see over the monstrously overgrown hedges.

"What are you looking for?" Jareth said abruptly, startling Emmeline.

"The castle," she replied without glancing back.

Jareth joined her in her search for it, struggling to see his castle over the brambles.

"Well, we are wasting precious daylight standing here, searching for the ruins of your castle." Emmeline says nastily. She turned on her heel and stalked onto the path ahead of them.

Jareth was stunned and guilty, feeling that Emmeline's newfound hostility was his fault, and their relationship's undoing. _Damn you Hoggle_, Jareth thought, _and damn me too._


	26. Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

"Oh no," Guthrye muttered to himself, panicking. Guam skirted over to see what on Earth Guthrye was stressing out about.

"What's wrong?" Guam asked, smirking.

"Emmeline's missing!" Guthrye screamed, eyes wide with terror. Guam's smirk slid off his face faster than melted butter down a flagpole.

"What?!" Guam cried, panicking as well. "What happened?"

"I don't— oh, crap," Guthrye whispered. Sweat poured down his face. Guam turned to see Hoggle standing there, looking murderously at the pair.

"Emmeline's _gone_?!" Hoggle screamed, losing his cool. "What the hell happened? What is wrong with you imbeciles?! Isn't watching a teenage girl easier than tricking her? You will pay for your stupidity!" Hoggle pointed a finger at the pair, and with one last agonized scream and a blinding flash of light, the two were incinerated.

Hoggle rounded on the other goblins, who were staring at their murdering King with horror, and barked, "Where is she? Do I at least have _one capable goblin_ in this damn castle?"

"Yes, Sir," a small goblin squeaked from the silent crowd. The goblins all parted until the small goblin, named Gorade, in Hoggle's line of vision. Hoggle stalked like a predator to Gorade, enjoying the rush of power as he watched the little goblin shake. Hoggle bent down to eye level with the goblin and asked, "Where is she?"

Gorade was silent for a moment, until he finally squeaked, "She is with Jareth, approaching the third task," Hoggle rose an eyebrow. "Sir," Gorade finished almost inaudibly. Hoggle laughed and stood up, pushing Gorade to the ground in the process.

Hoggle turned on his heel and melted into the all in pursuit of Emmeline and Jareth. As soon as Hoggle disappeared, all of the goblins rushed in on Gorade all at once, some helping him, others cursing him.

"You've condemned us all!"

"How could you?"

"Hoggle is so cruel!"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Gorade yelled impatiently, sounding like a mouse getting stabbed with a fork. "I'm sorry, I dint' mean to tell Master where the young girl was, but I was scared that he was going to take it out on me if I kep' quiet."

"Why would he take it out on you?" a goblin from the crowd rudely called.

"Because, Guam was my dad."

Instant uproar. "Mutiny!" a female goblin named Galina cried.

"Murder!"

"We need to get rid of our murderous King!" Gorade squeaked.

All of the goblins agreed and huddled together to formulate a plan.


	27. Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

"What do you think is the next task?" Emmeline asked Jareth as they made their way out of the desert land and into a stone part of the Labyrinth.

"Well, I'd assume it would be difficult," Jareth said, not looking at Emmeline. "The further we go, it seems to get worse… I honestly don't know Emmeline, and that concerns me. I'm so used to know what's coming up next and what's going on."

They continued silently onward. Soon, trees were growing out of the stone floor and the walls surrounding them vanished. Emmeline looked around at her environment, taken aback at the sudden change. They were in a dense, marshy background, reminding Emmeline of the swamps in Louisiana.

"I don't like this," Emmeline said quietly. Jareth looked around as well.

"Looks fine to me," he said.

"It's too… quiet. Too still…" she was right. Nothing was moving, no sound other than the squishing noise of their feet on wet moss. Soon, Emmeline heard something.

"It sounds like a violin…" she said softly, listening intently. Gradually the song grew louder, filling Emmeline's very soul with sadness and longing. She found herself following the music, desperate to comfort the depressed soul creating the enchanting music. She started to walk forward, unaware of anything but the music. Her eyes beaded with tears as her own miseries flashed behind her eyes. Jareth saw Emmeline's hypnotic state and forced his fingers in his ears. He searched around desperately and found some moss on a nearby tree. He ripped up the moss and stuffed them in his ears, successfully cutting off the evocative music. He grabbed some more and reached for Emmeline. He pulled her to him; her eyes were glazed over and red, directed towards the source of the music. Her face was contorted, as if seeing unendurable horrors in her sightless eyes.

"No," she mouthed desperately, tears streaming steadily down her flushed cheeks.

"Emmeline!" Jareth called out, trying to get her attention. She did nothing, almost as if she were deaf to everything but the music. She struggled with him desperately, like a trapped bird. Jareth reached with one hand to her ears, stuffing the moss in them to block out the music. She broke free and the moss fell out, and she began to run to the source. Jareth followed her, stopping at a small lake. A young man was there, playing a violin while sitting on a mossy rock. Emmeline had paused, then began to slowly walk toward him. It was then Jareth noticed the boy's wet hair tangled with lake weeds.

_A Kelpie_, he thought, filling with horror.

"Emmeline! _No!_" he ran to her just as the Kelpie grabbed ahold of Emmeline's arm and dragged her into the depths of the lake.


	28. Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

"What?" Sarah was stunned, she couldn't think; couldn't breathe. Emmeline… tears welled up in her eyes. She just stared at Hoggle, hardly daring to believe it. "No…"

Her eyes flashed with anger, rage beyond belief.

"I can't believe this!" she screamed, standing up.

Hoggle stood as well and put a comforting hand on her arm. "I know, it's a lot to take in. Jareth will pay—"

"Not at him! You! You lying traitorous_— agh!"_ Sarah half screamed.

Hoggle removed his hand quickly, stepping away from Sarah.

"Wh—what are ya talking about?" He was shaking, worried about what she had discovered.

"You! You've betrayed me! You've lied to me! I have defended you, stayed at your side, and this is what I get? Where's Emmeline? Really?" Sarah began to stare Hoggle down, whose face twisted.

He was silent a moment, then his face began to change. His eyes grew hard, his expression stony and emotionless. He looked back at her dead in the eyes.

"She is no longer your concern," He spoke woodenly. Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes and she left, down in the direction of her daughter and lover.

"After all I did for her…" Hoggle said angrily you himself, his pride wounded; his possible love dead as he wished Jareth to be.

"I saved her daughter, I helped her get through the Labyrinth to her, I helped her sixteen years ago as well, and this is how she repays me? By scampering off with some tight-pant jerk who kidnapped her baby brother?"

His voice was starting to rise. "Why can't she just see what I see in that creep? A villain! A villain! How can she not see him the way I do? Does she think he's some hot majestic hero who saves her daughter so can swoon at the sight of him while he gathers her in his arms? This isn't a fairy tale, Sarah! This is real life, and I will have my revenge!" Hoggle was yelling now.

Seething, Hoggle kicked a tree, only succeeding in making his anger flare up more powerfully and giving him a stubbed, if not broken, toe. Hoggle held his foot and started hopping around saying, "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Suddenly, at the spot where Hoggle kicked the tree started to bulge, turning into an odd shape. Hoggle dropped his foot and peered closer at the strange formation that was growing out of the wood.

A head formed, and an exiled goblin named Fowler slowly formed and climbed out of the tree.

"Ahhhh…" He said in a scratchy, underused voice. "A little Goblin King to munch on." Fowler started forward slowly but threateningly.

"Stand back!" Hoggle commanded angrily.

"Or what?" Fowler mocked in a baby-like voice.

"Or you'll be sorry! I am your King!"

"King? King?! You are not my King! I have been shunned, banished into the Labyrinth, humiliated, and condemned. After all that, you still think that I will obey you, or anyone? Purely out of respect?"

Hoggle backed away from Fowler, warning sirens going off in Hoggle's mind about this goblin. While Fowler was ranting, Hoggle distinctly remembered Fowler getting banished off into the Labyrinth alone, and afterward delivering bad reports about missing goblins to their King. Hoggle himself had blown them off as just stories, but now he found himself in a sticky position where all of those goblin victims were captured.

Finally, Fowler finished his rant and his soulless eyes bore into Hoggle's without blinking once. Whilst watching Hoggle, Fowler reached from behind his back, tugged something off his wings, and pulled his hand back. Clutched in his gnarled fingers, was a handmade rope net made from bits and pieces found in the Labyrinth.

Hoggle gasped, for he knew what Fowler used that net for. "No! I will not be a victim!" Hoggle cried, and then vanished in a flash of light, once again in pursuit of Emmeline and Jareth.

Fowler checked everywhere to make sure Hoggle was gone. He put two fingers in his mouth and gave out a low whistle. Gorade holding one of Hoggle's crystals came out from behind a hedge. The two locked eyes and seemed to speak to another telepathically. Fowler nodded, then launched himself up into the air, and followed the failing Goblin King.


	29. Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

"_Emmeline!"_ Jareth screamed. Not wasting a moment, he ran to the banks of the lake and dove into the water, tearing the moss out of his ears. The water was arctic, so cold it felt as if Jareth was being burned alive. He fought the urge to scream in pain and forced his numb limbs to swim. He opened his eyes and searched all along the lake bed, looking for Emmeline.

A thread of golden, iridescent hair caught his eye. Emmeline was tangled in the weeds on the floor, struggling desperately. The Kelpie was grinning, his expression that of ecstasy in watching her flailing limbs and panicked expression as she drowned. Jareth kicked his legs urgently in her direction. He managed to get to her and grab her hair when the Kelpie blocked him, swiftly shifting into a horse and kicking him in the stomach with a backward hoof.

His breath escaped his lips; the precious air bubbles escaping to the surface like they were afraid to face the Kelpie.

Before Jareth could recover from the blow, the Kelpie gripped Jareth's collar with delicate hands, Jareth looked up at the Kelpie and froze.

It had transformed into a woman; a woman with tantalizing curves, thick dark hair, creamy skin, and haunting emerald eyes.

Kelpie-Sarah's elegant hands moved from his collar, up his neck, to his face, pulling him close. Her lips brushed his, pulling him into a deadly lover's embrace. Kelpie-Sarah latched onto Jareth's lips and blew water into his lungs, trying to drown him. He tried to struggle, but the Kelpie was stronger.

Just when Jareth's vision began to get dark, the pressure on his face disappeared and he was being dragged to the surface. He thought he saw a face before he blacked out.

"Jareth? Jareth, can you hear me?" the words were foggy, hardly heard. Jareth tried to open his eyes, but they kept closing. He was exhausted; physically and emotionally drained. He attempted to open his eyes again and thought he saw dark hair paired with green eyes before he blacked out again.

Jareth opened his eyes. He was propped against a tree, a thick coat of moss tied to his chest by vines. He struggled to sit up and gasped, forced to lie back against the tree. He was now acutely aware of the sharp pain in his chest and sides; the aching feeling and effort it took to breathe.

"Good, you're awake," came a voice to his right. He turned his head and saw Emmeline walking toward him, cupping something in her hands.

"Here," she said softly, offering him some water. He drank slowly, reluctantly.

"I don't think I will want to go swimming after this," he whispered, smiling painfully. "What happened?"

Emmeline's smile faded. "That thing tricked me, somehow. I was down at the bottom of the lake, feeling like my lungs were gonna explode, when you pulled it away from me. I was able to untangle myself and surface, but when you didn't surface, I got worried. I swam back down and saw my mom… at least I thought it was my mom. She was drowning you…" she was silent a moment. "You really love her, don't you?"

Jareth looked away.

"Anyways," she continued, sensing his discomfort, "Your rescuer is here,"

Jareth tried to sit up again and saw her. He froze; not unlike he did in the lake. Sarah was crouched down next to him, tying another vine around his chest.

"That thing latched onto you and broke half your ribs," she smiled, gently leaving her hand on his chest a moment longer than necessary. She pulled her hand away and tended to the wound on his mouth.

"The bad news is that you will be in some pain for a while, but on your face she only left ah… a red mark around your lips." She winked and grinned at his flush.

"What happened to the Kelpie?" he asked, trying to avoid awkward conversation. Emmeline looked to her mother who smiled.

"Well, I found something very useful when I followed you. In a hollow tree, there was a bridle."

"Bridle?" Emmeline was blank.

Jareth grinned. "Brilliant!"

"Okay, I'm lost. What does a bridle have to do with anything?" Emmeline said, looking to Sarah, but it was Jareth who answered.

"Only a bridle can control a Kelpie. Otherwise, they drown their victims and eat the dead flesh."

"Yuck," Emmeline wrinkled her nose. She reached a hand to Jareth's forehead to pluck a leaf off when Jareth noticed bandages around her wrists and her right upper arm.

"What happened to you…" Jareth whispered, touching her own makeshift bandages.

"The Kelpie," she said darkly, "and the weeds. Nothing to be worried about though," she said, brightening, "No broken bones."

Jareth started to force himself to sit up, ignoring the sharp pains in his chest.

"We need to go." he said urgently, using the tree and Emmeline for support to stand.

"Rest!" Sarah said quickly. She threw her arms out to aid him, but he waved her away.

"I'm Fae," he snapped impatiently, "I heal very quickly. The point is that we are running out of time and I need to help my son."

Sarah bit her lip and nodded. Soon, the three were continuing on the path, Sarah and Emmeline on either side of Jareth.


	30. Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

"You let them get _away?!"_ Hoggle screeched piercingly.

The Kelpie was kneeled before him in human form, his wrists tied and the bridle in his mouth.

"Plees shur highnesh, I almoshed had the girl, but then Jaret had pulledme offa her. I wash drowning him when thish bridle wash put on me by the girl I wash impershonating." His voice was muffled and warped with the bridle, but Hoggle made out the basics.

"Sarah saved them?" Hoggle asked, hardly daring to believe him.

"Yesh shur highnesh." The Kelpie muttered.

Hoggle took a step back, his head whirling. He turned back to the Kelpie and raised his hand, a crystal resting innocently on his palm. The Kelpie's eyes widened with fright as the possibilities of punishment flitted through his mind like a movie. The crystal warped in shape, rowing thin like a rod, the end growing a thin tail until there was a whip in Hoggle's hand.

His hand came down on the Kelpie again and again until the Kelpie's agonized screams cut through the dense swampland.

"Yes! Finally! The last task!" Emmeline cried with happiness as they came to the Goblin City walls. She studied all around the area, but there were no doors; no visible openings.

"Aww, man," Emmeline said, looking up at the soaring wall.

_My thoughts exactly_, Jareth thought, looking at the daunting impasse. "How do we get in?"

"Here!" Sarah called; she was five feet from them and was standing in front of a tunnel in the stone large enough to crawl through.

"Great!" Emmeline hollered, racing past her mother and starting to climb in the warren.

"Wait a minute, young lady," Sarah said, grabbing Emmeline by the back of her shirt. Emmeline sighed and climbed out. "Yes?"

Sarah smiled. "Be careful, okay? Jareth and I will come after you. Pay attention." Emmeline smiled and nodded, climbing back into the outlet and disappearing as she rounded a corner.

"Sarah," Jareth said softly, touching her shoulder. "I'm sorry that Emmeline got hurt while in my care. I shouldn't have let her come."

Sarah turned toward Jareth, putting her back to the tunnel. She stepped closer to him until their chests were touching. For a moment she just looked into his eyes.

Without warning, Sarah threw her arms around Jareth and kissed him full on the mouth. Jareth placed his arm around her waist and kissed her back, all of his love and adoration for Sarah pouring out of him.

While they were kissing, Emmeline came back from her investigation and caught Sarah and Jareth. She grinned.

"I knew it!" Emmeline laughed. Sarah and Jareth broke apart, blushing and smiling. Jareth turned his head and looked at Emmeline, who snickered.

"Come on, lovebirds, or we're going to miss the action!" Emmeline cackled, and then disappeared back around the corner of the tunnel.

Sarah blushed deeper, and then went to the tunnel. Jareth followed her, took her hand, and helped her into the tunnel, following her after.

They were only crawling through for a minute or so when—

"Stop!" Emmeline hissed, holding an arm out so they wouldn't pass her. "Listen!"

Sarah and Jareth stayed there, listening intently. Heavy footfalls were coming from the opening of the tunnel.

"What is that? Emmeline, can you see anything?" Jareth asked anxiously from behind Sarah.

"Shhhhh!" Emmeline hissed, her arm still out as if shielding them all from view. "It looks like… a _Hydra!_"

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, I have been busy lately and had no time to write. I am extremely flattered and feel so loved while reading these comments and I just wanted to thank everyone who said anything kind about my book. If I get more comments, I'll start doing shoutouts! Love y'all and happy reading. Expect 3 more chapters tomarrow.

Kenady


	31. Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

"Where are they? Where are they?" Hoggle was panicking, he could feel his magic leaving him slowly, making him unable to just appear and disappear further than 10 feet. He knew he had been betrayed, he knew Jareth was at the Hydra's home, the last task, and he couldn't do a thing about it.

"Hello again. Trying to run away from our problems, are we?" Fowler's voice said from behind him. "Poor little failing Goblin King." His voice was the babyish at first but grew harsh and cruel when Fowler snarled the last four words. Hoggle was shaking in his shoes, but tried not to how his fear to this murderous goblin. Hoggle slowly turned around and faced Fowler and gave him an angry look, though it lacked all the fury it needed to be convincing. "I will give you one… last… chance, Fowler. Leave me be, or there will be serious consequences, a lot worse than being banished and snubbed."

Fowler's cruel grin rose even higher, giving him the look of the Grinch. "Like what?" Fowler's eyes dared Hoggle to go on.

"I will… I will…" Hoggle looked at his hands, wishing they held the same power they did when Jareth was kicked off the throne and cast out of the Labyrinth.

"Can't think of anything, can you?" Fowler sneered. Suddenly, Hoggle was struck by a thought.

"Fowler," Hoggle started, "How would you like to be _un_banished and _un_snubbed?"

Fowler looked at Hoggle, confused. "Go on." Fowler said cautiously.

"If you help me get Emmeline, Sarah, and Jareth, I will take away your banishment, and you will be one of the most honored goblin in the Labyrinth. I'm thinking… second-in-command?"

Fowler put the tips of his fingers together and surveyed Hoggle with his black, critical eyes.

"Deal?" Hoggle pried, holding out a hand in a gesture of companionship.

Fowler was completely still and then, ever so slowly, he extended his right hand and shook with Hoggle.

"Deal." Fowler rasped. The cruel grin came back to his features. "I will… _take care_… of them."

"A _what?_" Sarah whispered in horror.

"Back up. Oh, _please_ back up!" Emmeline whispered, her panic breaking through her bravado. Sarah and Jareth backed out of the tunnel until they were outside the wall again.

"What was it?" Sarah asked her daughter, whose face was whiter than paper.

"A… It looked like a Hydra."

"Like in the Greek myths?" Sarah asked, starting to understand why Emmeline panicked in the tunnel. Emmeline just nodded, lapsing into silence.

"This must be the last Task," Jareth said. "But which task is it?"

"It must be strength. Hercules defeated it, and he was half god. He almost died in the process though. How are we going to kill this thing?" Sarah muttered impatiently.

"Here's some advice, don't cut off any of its heads." Emmeline said, taking her face away from her arms.

"Why?" Jareth asked.

"Because two will grow back in its place. Two each, making you have to fight double than last time."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good. Let's try to avoid that."

Suddenly there was a whoosh of air above them, throwing their hair around their faces in an eerie dance.

"Who's there?" Jareth asked powerfully, searching the skies. Fowler dive-bombed straight out of the sky and landed gently in front of Jareth without making a sound.

"Me." Fowler cackled. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Fowler! Oh my, it's so nice to see a familiar face. Um… how are you?" Jareth faltered.

"Fine. In fact, great. Master Hoggle has offered me a deal. So…" Fowler suddenly flew over to Emmeline and, before anyone could react, scooped her up in one of his nets.

"No!" Sarah hollered, launching herself at Fowler.

Seeing her advance, Fowler flew up into the sky out of reach, the net holding Emmeline, who was fighting with all her might to escape.

"Adios old King!" Fowler hollered in Jareth direction. "Your days are numbered. Or should I say hours? You have half of one, by the way. Farewell!" With one last evil cackle, Fowler flew away, out of sight.


End file.
